Émile Zola, Novelist and Reformer: An Account of His Life & WorkVizetelly, Ernest Alfred
General
Émile Zola, Novelist and Reformer: An Account of His Life & Work
Vizetelly, Ernest Alfred
Zola, Émile, 1840-1902
While thus engaged, Henry Vizetelly[5] was approached by Mr. Herbert
Ingram, a former news-agent of Nottingham, on the subject of founding
an illustrated newspaper. The outcome (1842) was "The Illustrated
London News," the first journal of its kind in any country. Vizetelly
afterwards quarrelled with Ingram, and, in 1843, in conjunction with
Mr. Andrew Spottiswoode, started an opposition paper, "The Pictorial
Times," to which some notable men, including Douglas Jerrold and
Thackeray, contributed. As, however, the printing and engraving
business which he carried on with his brother was becoming a large
one, Vizetelly eventually severed his connection with journalism for
some years, and either with his brother, or later on his own account,
produced a large number of illustrated books, which from typographical
and other technical standpoints were often among the best of their
time. He was also (this may interest American readers) the first to
introduce Poe's "Tales" and--through C. H. Clarke--Mrs. Stowe's "Uncle
Tom's Cabin," to the English public, and, having virtually discovered
Birket Foster, he also did much to popularise Longfellow in England.
Perhaps his best work as a wood-engraver was that done for the edition
of "Evangeline," illustrated with Foster's designs.
Vizetelly also took a prominent part in the agitation for the repeal of
the taxes on knowledge, such as the newspaper stamp and the paper duty,
being honorary secretary to the society for the removal of the latter
impost; and in 1855, conjointly with David Bogue, the publisher of most
of the books he printed, he started "The Illustrated Times," on the
staff of which, as had been the case with "The Pictorial Times," there
were again many notable writers and artists.[6] This newspaper ran a
very successful course for some years, but about 1860 Vizetelly--after
losing a large sum over another venture, "The Welcome Guest"--sold
his share in the proprietorship to Ingram of "The Illustrated London
News." Ultimately, in 1865, he entered into an agreement to represent
the last-named journal on the continent of Europe, with headquarters
in Paris, to which city he removed with his family. He saw virtually
all there was to be seen there during the last years of the Empire, the
subsequent siege by the Germans, and, later, the Commune. He afterwards
acted for "The Illustrated London News" as a "special" in different
parts of Europe, and became British wine juror at various international
exhibitions, for he had made a particular study of wines in the regions
where they were produced, and wrote on them at length both in "The
Pall Mall Gazette" and in a series of popular volumes. Other subjects
also attracted his pen; the best of his numerous literary efforts being
probably a work on the famous Diamond Necklace scandal, and another on
Berlin as it was when Bismarck had constituted the new German Empire.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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