FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   >>  
yed to illustrate _Bell's Life_ and _Figaro in London_. For _Pickwick_ he prepared seven illustrations, of which four appeared in the first part. Whether from overwork, or from the fact that his often hasty sketches did not invariably give satisfaction to his employers, Seymour was in a depressed state of mind at this time, and on 20th April, just before the publication of the second number of _Pickwick_, he committed suicide by shooting himself through the head with a fowling-piece. ROBERT WILLIAM BUSS In consequence of this catastrophe, the second number came out with only three plates, and an apology to the public. In their dilemma the publishers invited Robert William Buss (1804-75), a young artist of some promise, to take up Seymour's work. Buss, who was the son of an engraver, had studied under George Clint, A.R.A., and had been employed to illustrate Cumberland's _British Theatre_. He was also an exhibitor at the Royal Academy, where his most successful works had been in a humorous genre. Buss consented to lay aside his Academy picture and undertake the illustrations to _Pickwick_: but as time pressed, and he was ignorant of the art of etching, he put the two first designs into the hands of a professional etcher. The result was unfortunate, since, although the technical part of the work was well executed, the free touch of the original was entirely wanting, and Buss's name appeared to designs, not one stroke of which was on the plates. While the artist was busy designing other, and, as he hoped, more successful illustrations, he received his dismissal from the publishers, who were dissatisfied with the specimens already submitted to them. Although he admitted that his first two plates were "abominably bad," Buss was much aggrieved at this treatment, having been promised every consideration from the publishers on account of his ignorance of etching, and the haste with which the earlier designs had to be prepared. Later he became known as a popular book-illustrator, executing plates for the novels of Mrs. Trollope, Captain Marryatt, and Harrison Ainsworth; while, towards the end of his career, he issued an elaborately-illustrated work on English graphic satire. HABLOT KNIGHT BROWNE In consequence of these early misfortunes, there was so poor a demand for the first three numbers of _Pickwick_, that the publishers had serious thoughts of stopping the publication of the work. However, on the dismissal of
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   >>  



Top keywords:
plates
 

publishers

 

Pickwick

 
designs
 

illustrations

 
consequence
 

Academy

 

publication

 

dismissal

 

number


Seymour

 
prepared
 

artist

 

appeared

 

illustrate

 

etching

 

successful

 

abominably

 

Although

 
admitted

specimens

 

submitted

 
dissatisfied
 

technical

 

executed

 

unfortunate

 

professional

 
etcher
 

result

 
original

designing

 

stroke

 

wanting

 

aggrieved

 
received
 

satire

 

graphic

 
HABLOT
 

KNIGHT

 

BROWNE


English

 
illustrated
 

career

 

issued

 

elaborately

 

thoughts

 

stopping

 

However

 

numbers

 

demand