Book Description

Dickens and His Illustrators by Frederic George Kitton. That Dickens's association with his Illustrators was something more than mere coadjutorship is evidenced both in Forster's "Life" and in the published "Letters." From these sources we derive much information tending to prove the existence of a warm friendship subsisting between Author and Artists; indeed, the latter (with two or three exceptions) were privileged to enjoy the close personal intimacy of Dickens and his family circle. Recalling the fact that the Novelist not unfrequently availed himself of the traits and idiosyncrasies of his familiars, it seems somewhat strange that in the whole range of his creations we fail to discover a single attempt at the portraiture of an artist; for those dilettanti wielders of the brush, Miss La Creevy and Henry Gowan, can scarcely be included under that denomination. During the earlier part of this century the illustrators of books seldom, if ever, resorted to the use of the living model. Such experts as Cruikshank, Seymour, "Phiz," Maclise, Doyle, and Leech were no exceptions to this rule; but at the beginning of the sixties there arose a new "school" of designers and draughtsmen, prominent among them being Leighton, Millais, Walker, and Sandys. Those popular Royal Academicians, Mr. Marcus Stone and Mr. Luke Fildes (the illustrators respectively of "Our Mutual Friend" and "Edwin Drood"), are almost the only surviving members of that confraternity; they, however, speedily relinquished black-and-white Art in order to devote their attention to the more fascinating pursuit of painting. While admitting the technical superiority of many of the illustrations in the later editions of Dickens's works (such as those by Frederick Barnard and Charles Green), the collector and bibliophile claim for the designs in the original issue an interest which is lacking in subsequent editions; that is to say, they possess the charm of association--a charm that far outweighs possible artistic defects and conventions; for, be it remembered, these designs were produced under the direct influence and authorisation of Dickens, and by artists who worked hand in hand with the great romancer himself.