The first number of _The Studio_ did not appear until the April of 1893; it was the first public recognition of Aubrey Beardsley it is true; but an utterly ridiculous legend has grown around _The Studio_ that it made Beardsley famous. It did absolutely nothing of the kind. _The Studio_ itself was no particular success, far less any article in it. Tom, Dick, and Harry, did not understand it; were not interested greatly in the arts or crafts; and particularly were they bored by mediæval stiffness, dinginess, gloom, and solemn uncomfortable pomp. Even the photographers had not at that time “gone into oak.” It was only in our little narrow artistic and literary world--and a very narrow inner circle at that--where _The Studio_ caused any talk, and Beardsley interested not very excitedly. We had grown rather blasé to mediævalism; had begun to find it out; and the Japanesque was a somewhat dinted toy--we preferred the Japanese masterpieces of the Japanese even to the fine bastard Japanesques of Whistler. So that, even in studio and literary salon, and at the tea-tables of the very earnest people with big red or yellow ties, untidy corduroy suits, and bilious aspirations after beauty, Beardsley at best was only one of the many subjects when he was a subject at all. It was bound to be so--he had done no great work as far as the public knew. Lewis Hind, who at the New Year had gone from _The Studio_ offices to edit the _Pall Mall Budget_, in a fit of generous enthusiasm commissioned Beardsley to make caricatures or portrait-sketches at the play or opera or the like; and from the February of 1893 for some few weeks, Beardsley, utterly incompetent for the journalistic job, unfortunately damaged his reputation and nearly brought it to the gutter with a series of the most wretched drawings imaginable--drawings without one redeeming shred of value--work almost inconceivable as being from the same hands that were decorating the _Morte d’Arthur_, which however the public had not yet seen, for it did not begin to appear in print until the mid-year. But, as a matter of fact, most of the designs for _Morte d’Arthur_ were made by the time that Beardsley began his miserable venture in the _Pall Mall Budget_. The first volume of _Bon Mots_ appeared in the April of 1893--the _Sydney Smith and Sheridan_ volume--although few heard of or saw the little book, and none paid it respect. It was pretty poor stuff. * * * * *