Randolph Caldecott Part 3

"Leave Treseburg at 9.40 A.M. over a bridge on the right bank of the Bode. Altenbrack at 10.50, Wendefurth at 11.50.

Rubeland reached at 2.30 P.M., and so on to Elbingerode, where a halt is made for the night at the 'Blauer Engel,' a tolerable inn. Women of burden and foresters are the only wayfarers met with.

"The route hence south-west over high open land with fine views to the iron works of Rothehutte in an hour. Thence up a hill for half an hour and through dense fir woods, then out on the high road again, resting at the 'Brauner Hirsch'

at Braunlage. From thence over hills commanding a vast extent of country with the familiar form of the Brocken continually in view. The road descends by easy stages through a district full of small reservoirs and leads the traveller in about two hours into the wide, clean, empty streets of Clausthal."

On the 19th September, 1872, Caldecott is at work again in his rooms at 46, Great Russell Street (opposite the British Museum) arranging with the writer for some of his Harz Mountain drawings to accompany an article in the London _Graphic_ newspaper. These appeared in the autumn of 1872.

[Ill.u.s.tration: AT CLAUSTHAL.]

On the 18th October, the following entry appears in Caldecott's diary: "Called at _Graphic_ office, saw Mr. W. L. Thomas, who took my address." This entry is interesting as the beginning of a long connection with the _Graphic_ newspaper which proved mutually advantageous.

In November, 1872, the present writer went to America, taking a sc.r.a.p-book of proofs of the best of Caldecott's early drawings, a few of which were published in an article on the _Harz Mountains_ in _Harper's Monthly Magazine_ in the spring of 1873.[5] His drawings were also shown to the conductors of the _Daily Graphic_, of New York, which led to an engagement referred to in the next chapter.

During the latter part of 1872 numerous small ill.u.s.trations were produced for _London Society_.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

[Ill.u.s.tration: SKETCH IN "PUNCH," 8TH MARCH, 1873.]

CHAPTER IV.

DRAWING FOR "THE DAILY GRAPHIC."

Some idea of the work on which Caldecott was engaged in 1873 and 1874, may be gathered from extracts from his diary in those years. They are interesting if only to show that at that early period his art studies were varied, and that his experience was not confined to book ill.u.s.tration as has generally been supposed.

In January, 1873, he made six ill.u.s.trations for _Frank Mildmay_ by "Florence Marryatt," and on January 22nd, an "Initial for _Punch_."

In February--

"Began wax-modelling for practice, hearing that my hunting frieze (white on brown paper) had been successful in Manchester, and that I should perhaps be asked to model some animals for a chimney-piece."

24th April.--"A. came to see my wax models; liked them, said I must do something further."

Several hunting subjects were also in progress at this time. Next are two letters to a friend in Manchester.

"46, GREAT RUSSELL STREET, LONDON, W.C.,

"_March 28, 1873_.

"MY DEAR ----,--The ancient Romans said, or ought to have said, that ingrat.i.tude was the greatest of human crimes.

But, my dear fellow, I am not an ingrate. I have not forgotten you--unless, as the poet sings, 'if to think of thee by day and dream of thee by night, be forgetting thee, thou art indeed forgot.' I did receive your last collected joke, and a very good joke it was--for a Manchester joke.

I'm sorry that I have not power to use it, but it will keep, although it will tread on some people's feelings when used.

The fact is that this same joke nearly brought me to an untimely end. I went out hunting on the day I received it, and at one fence and ditch I had quite enough to do to avoid a rabbit-hole on the taking-off side and some barked boughs of fallen timber on the landing side--not to mention some low-hanging oak trees. Well, just when I was in the air I thought of your joke and smiled all down one side; my hunter--by King Tom, out of Blazeaway's dam, by Boanerges--took the opportunity of stumbling, and, before an adult with all his teeth could get as far as the third syllable in 'Jack Robinson,' my nose was engaged in cutting a furrow all across a fine gra.s.s field, some eight acres and a half in extent, laid down after fine crops of seeds and roots, and well boned last winter. However, in less than half a minute (having retained possession of the reins), I was again chasing the flying hounds.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A CHECK.]

"About the middle of February I went down into the country to make some studies and sketches, and remained more than a month. Had several smart attacks on my heart, a little wounded once, causing that machine to go up and down like a lamb's tail when its owner is partaking of the nourishment provided by a bounteous Nature. Further particulars in our next--no more paper now. I hope you and ---- are well, and with kind regards, remain yours faithfully,

"R. C."

[Ill.u.s.tration]

"46, GREAT RUSSELL STREET, LONDON, W.C.,

"_April 27, 1873_.

"MY DEAR ----,--I was delighted to receive your letter--quite a long one for you. I hope that you had a fine time of it at the ball. Dancing is not absolutely necessary to a man's welfare temporally or spiritually; so if you be a 'Wobbler,' wobble away and fear not, but see that thou wobblest with all thy might, then shall thy zeal compensate for lack of skill. I've nearly given up gymnastics. I only danced twenty-one times at the last ball.

"I now find that during quadrilles my mind wanders away from the subject before it, and I am continually reminded that I ought to be idiotically squaring away at some one instead of cogitating with my n.o.ble back leaning against the wall. 'Sed tempora new potater,' &c. I hope you are all well, and with kind regards, remain yours faithfully,

"R. C."

In May he is "working in clay in low relief."

6th June.--"Began modelling mare and foal in round."

In the latter part of June, and in July, he is "at Vienna with Mr.

Blackburn," engaged on various ill.u.s.trations for the _Daily Graphic_.

It was in the summer of 1873 that it occurred to the proprietors of the _Daily Graphic_ (the American ill.u.s.trated newspaper referred to) that the Gulf Stream, and the strong prevailing current of wind easterly from the continent of America in that lat.i.tude, might be turned to profitable account for advertising purposes. They constructed a large balloon which hung high above the houses in Broadway for some weeks, and announced that on a certain day the _Daily Graphic_ balloon would sail for Europe. The start was telegraphed to London and gravely announced in the _Times_ and other London papers, and every one was on the _qui vive_ for this new arrival in the air.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "LOOKING OUT FOR THE 'GRAPHIC' BALLOON."]

The humour and absurdity of the situation was seized at once by the comic journals, but probably nothing that appeared at the time was more telling than the drawing made by Caldecott at Farnham Royal for the _Daily Graphic_, and published in New York as a page of that newspaper.

Other drawings followed, descriptive of various scenes in London and England, such as a special service by Cardinal Manning at the Pro-Cathedral in Kensington; an address by Bradlaugh at the east end of London; a London picture exhibition; hunting in a northern county, &c., and Caldecott, to whom all this was a new experience, was pleased to work for the American newspaper as "London artistic correspondent."

In this capacity Caldecott went with the writer to Vienna to the International Exhibition of 1873, and there were sent to America various satirical sketches, accompanying letters, notably one of the banquet held on the 4th of July, with portraits of some well-known American citizens. One of the most successful and life-like of the smaller sketches was a Vienna horse-car ent.i.tled--"Off to the Exhibition," reproduced here.

[Ill.u.s.tration: OFF TO THE EXHIBITION--VIENNA, 1873.]

The experience gained in various excursions during Caldecott's engagement with the _Daily Graphic_, was most valuable to him in after years; although as we have elsewhere said, ill.u.s.trated journalism properly so-called, was never sympathetic to him, nor would his health have been equal to the strain of so trying an occupation. As _occasional_ contributor to an ill.u.s.trated newspaper he was destined to be without a rival, as the columns of the London _Graphic_ for many years have testified.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A VIENNESE DOG.]

The humour and vivacity, the _abandon_, so to speak, exhibited in some of these early drawings, form a delightful episode in his early art career, and many will wonder, looking at the variety of movement and expression (in the drawing of the overloaded car, for instance), that the artist should have been amongst us so long without more recognition. It is true that his drawings were uncertain, and that the results of want of training were sometimes too palpable; that the accusation made in 1872 that the editor of _London Society_ had chosen "an artist who could not draw a lady," could hardly be gainsaid in 1873.