, and the
picture-buying public had not yet been educated up to purchasing his
canvases. His illustrations--in chief part for American
publications--were all done at night, as his days were delivered over to
earnest though unremunerative painting. But directly his pictures began
to make way, he dropped illustration, which had made inroads upon his
health and had permanently injured his left eye through the strain of
the artificial light. So Mr. Riviere ceased his _Punch_ connection, the
proprietors, moreover, consenting to suppress those blocks which had not
yet appeared, as the painter feared that they would do harm to himself
professionally, and no particular good to the paper. Yet he has always
expressed his pride that he should have been one of the outside "_Punch_
Staff," and he has proved it by elaborating the initial "M," which was
published on p. 217, Vol. LVI., in "_Punch's_ Derby Sporting Prophecy,"
into his picture "Of a Fool and His Folly there is no End," which was
painted and exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1890.

A couple of drawings from Mr. Cooper, and an initial by "W. V." (the
cipher of Mr. Wallis Mackay, whose sketch and subsequent work did not
appear for a couple of years) were next sent in, and then came Mr. J.
Moyr Smith, whose long series of clever mock-Etruscan drawings continued
with few breaks for the space of ten years. Although the spirit that
runs through them becomes monotonous after a while, the draughtsmanship
and the excellence of the fooling always elicit admiration. Mr. Smith
had served his time to architecture; but natural love of figure-drawing,
intensified by the study of Sir John Tenniel's comic illustrations of
the historical costume, faithfully and even learnedly delineated and
perfectly drawn, settled his career, and "Fun," under Tom Hood's
editorship, witnessed his start in humorous life. Referred to Mark Lemon
by "Pater" Evans, he obtained a ready hearing, and for a couple of
years drew for the paper; but he did not work regularly, during an
interval of three years, until 1872. From this time forward he was one
of _Punch's_ recognised outside contributors, though he worked for it
only when not engaged in making designs for art-manufacturers. It was
under Shirley Brooks's editorship, and later under Tom Taylor's, that he
gave full rein to his passion for classic treatment, and his ornament,
which gave a distinct _cachet_ to _Punch_ up to 1878, was not founded on
a mere grote