Children's Books and Their IllustratorsWhite, Gleeson
General
Children's Books and Their Illustrators
White, Gleeson
Children's literature; Illustrated books; Illustration of books; Illustrators
[Illustration: ILLUSTRATION (REDUCED) FROM "THE CHILD'S PICTORIAL." BY
MRS. R. HALLWARD (S.P.C.K.)]
Although Mr. William de Morgan appears to have illustrated but a single
volume, "On a Pincushion," by Mary de Morgan (Seeley, 1877), yet that is
so interesting that it must be noticed. Its interest is double--first in
the very "decorative" quality of its pictures, which are full of
"colour" and look like woodcuts more than process blocks; and next in
the process itself, which was the artist's own invention. So far as I
gather from Mr. de Morgan's own explanation, the drawings were made on
glass coated with some yielding substance, through which a knife or
graver cut the "line." Then an electro was taken. This process, it is
clear, is almost exactly parallel with that of wood-cutting--_i.e._, the
"whites" are taken out, and the sweep of the tool can be guided by the
worker in an absolutely untrammelled way. Those who love the qualities
of a woodcut, and have not time to master the technique of wood-cutting
or engraving, might do worse than experiment with Mr. de Morgan's
process. A quantity of proofs of designs he executed--but never
published--show that it has many possibilities worth developing.
[Illustration: ILLUSTRATION FROM "A, B, C" BY MRS. GASKIN (ELKIN
MATHEWS)]
The work of Reginald Hallward deserves to be discussed at greater length
than is possible here. His most important book (printed finely in gold
and colours by Edmund Evans), is "Flowers of Paradise," issued by
Macmillan some years ago. The drawings for this beautiful quarto were
shown at one of the early Arts and Crafts Exhibitions. Some designs,
purely decorative, are interspersed among the figure subjects. "Quick
March," a toy-book (Warne), is also full of the peculiar "quality" which
distinguishes Mr. Hallward's work, and is less austere than certain
later examples. The very notable magazine, _The Child's Pictorial_,
illustrated almost entirely in colours, which the Society for Promoting
Christian Knowledge published for ten years, contains work by this
artist, and a great many illustrations by Mrs. Hallward, which alone
would serve to impart value to a publication that has (as we have
pointed out elsewhere) very many early examples by Charles Robinson, and
capital work by W. J. Morgan. Mrs. Hallward's work is marked by strong
Pre-Raphaelite feeling, although she does not, as a rule, select
old-world themes, but depicts children of to-day. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Hallward eschew the "pretty-pretty" type, and are bent on producing
really "decorative" pages. So that to-day, when the ideal they so long
championed has become popular, it is strange to find that their work is
not better known.
[Illustration: "KING LOVE. A CHRISTMAS GREETING." BY H. GRANVILLE FELL]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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