The _Illustrated London News_--The Early Numbers--The Burning of
Hamburgh--Facetious Advertisements--Bal Masque at Buckingham
Palace--Attempted Assassination of the Queen--The Queen's First Trip
by Railway--First Royal Visit to Scotland--Political Portraits--R.
Cobden--Lord John Russell--Benjamin Disraeli--The French Revolution,
1848--The Great Exhibition, 1851--The Crimean War--Coloured
Pictures--Christmas Numbers--Herbert Ingram--The _Pictorial
Times_--Other Illustrated Journals.
Having traced the idea of illustrating the news of the day from the
early 'news-book' through its various stages of growth and development,
we come to the first regular illustrated newspaper that was established.
The projector had long held the opinion, founded on his experience as a
newsvendor at Nottingham, that such a publication would succeed. He had
noticed that when the _Observer_ and the _Weekly Chronicle_ contained
engravings, there was a much larger demand for those papers than when
they were without illustrations, and he conceived the idea of starting a
paper whose chief attraction should be its _pictures_. He thought if he
could combine _art_ and _news_ together, he would be adding greatly to
the ordinary attractions of a newspaper, and would probably secure a
widely extended circle of readers. His customers at Nottingham often
asked for the 'London news' when anything of interest was astir in the
Metropolis, and his observant shrewdness led him to conclude that this
would be a good name for his paper. He accordingly called it the
_Illustrated London News_, and under that title the first number
appeared on May 14th, 1842. It contained sixteen printed pages and
thirty-two woodcuts, including all the little headings to the columns,
price sixpence, and it equalled in size the _Atlas_ which was then sold
for a shilling, without engravings. It was printed by R. Palmer (at
the office of Palmer and Clayton), 10 Crane Court, Fleet Street, and
published by J. Clayton, 320 Strand. The introductory address is written
in a florid and inflated style; but it shows a correct perception of the
wide and varied range that would have to be taken by an illustrated
newspaper.
[Illustration: THE BURNING OF HAMBURGH. FROM THE FIRST NUMBER OF THE
'ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS,' MAY 14, 1842.]
[Illustration: HEADING TO 'COURT AND HAUT TON,' COLUMN, 'ILLUSTRATED
LONDON NEWS,' MAY 14, 1842.]
The well-known engraved heading represents a view of London from the
Thames, as it was then,--St. Paul's towering in the centre, and the Lord
Mayor's procession in State barges passing up the river. The first
engraving is a 'View of the Conflagration of the City of Hamburgh,'
which began on May 5th, and continued for several days. A great part of
the city was destroyed, and more than one hundred lives were lost. As
marking an epoch in the history of the Pictorial Press, I reprint this
engraving and some others from the early numbers. The next cut is
apparently a view of some town in Italy or France; but there is no name
to the engraving or any reference to it in the surrounding text, which
is all about the dreadful railway accident between Paris and Versailles
which had then just occurred, whereby fifty persons were killed, and one
hundred and fifty were more or less injured. On the next page are views
of the city of Cabul and the fortress of Ghuznee, just then the seat of
stirring events. The columns of 'Foreign Intelligence,' 'The Court and
Haut Ton,' 'Births, Marriages, and Deaths,' were each headed by a small
woodcut, an example of which is given here. There is also an
illustration of ladies' fashions, accompanied by a gushing, descriptive
letter from Paris, beginning: 'Dear Mr. Editor, I feel an inexpressible
delight in inditing my first communication to your lady readers, upon
the fashions of the _haut ton_ of this _ville de gaite_. So suddenly and
with such power has the sun lately shot forth, that there is no end to
invention in our spring fashions.'
[Illustration: FASHIONS FOR MAY, 1842. FROM THE 'ILLUSTRATED LONDON
NEWS,' MAY 14, 1842.]
It would appear that illustrated police reports were to have formed part
of the attractions of the paper, and several small cuts dealing with
humorous subjects are scattered through the early numbers. The cases
were evidently selected with a view to provoke merriment rather than to
indulge a morbid taste for criminal records, and seem to show that the
paper in its early days possessed something of the frolicsomeness of
youth, and did not consider a joke beneath its dignity. It had its wild
oats to sow, and was not indisposed to emulate its contemporary _Punch_,
then also a young joker. The first illustrations of the kind relate to a
case at the Mansion House before Sir Peter Laurie, where the manager of
a matrimonial institution sought to defend his establishment from the
strictures of that celebrated 'putter-down.' A few pages further on we
come upon two facetious advertisements, one of them professing to have
been called forth by the report of the above case at the Mansion
House:--
'MATRIMONY.--A _professional_ gentleman, who has for some time past
enrolled the category of his multitudinous graces, accomplishments, and
_prospects_, in the portfolio of the "Matrimonial Alliance
Establishment," fearing that, under the influence of Sir Peter Laurie's
recent animadversion they will waste their sweetness unseen--unknown in
the rose-tinted volume of the modern Hymen, avails himself of the
glorious opportunity afforded to advertisers by the proprietors of the
_Illustrated London News_, "and boldly and unhesitatingly submits his
picture in little," to the approving smiles of the fair daughters (and
_widows_) of Albion's Isle, conscious of his perfect sincerity in
stating that he has no _insurmountable_ objection to fortune being
combined with beauty, taste, lively disposition, and cheerful temper; he
feels assured that the lovely creature whose eyes shall be fortunate
enough, first to meet this advertisement (and then the advertiser), will
secure to herself a perfect amenity, if truth be truth, and manners--not
money--make the man. Address, with portrait (miniature set in gold,
pearls, or other precious stones, not refused), A. Donis Slim, Esq., 320
Strand.'
[Illustration: A. DONIS SLIM, ESQ. FROM THE 'ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS,'
MAY 14, 1842.]
The other advertisement referred to is of an entirely different
character, being addressed to the commercial world:--
'CAPITAL SPEC! Safe as the Bank!--Wanted a partner in a snug, genteel
little concern, with an airy and pleasant corner situation in one of the
most densely crowded thoroughfares of the Metropolis, and doing a good,
ready-money business, without much risk; which an increase of capital
would considerably extend. The returns exceed the outlay, and the Sunday
custom alone covers the rent. The taxes are redeemed, and there is a
long unexpired term of the lease, which is held at a lolly-pop. The
coming into a half-share, including plant and stock, very moderate--say
a trifle above 0000_l._ Any person who can command the above sum will
not only find this a decided bargain, but a very desirable opportunity
of commencing business, and well worthy the attention of an industrious
person of small means and less family. References exchanged. Address,
prepaid, to B. B. (Brandy Ball), Pieman's Alley.'
[Illustration: PARTNERSHIP WANTED. FROM THE 'ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS,'
MAY 14, 1842.]
The principal engravings in this first number illustrate the first Bal
Masque given by Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace. They were drawn by
Sir John Gilbert, then at the beginning of his career, and it was most
fortunate for the new enterprise that an artist of such great and varied
abilities was found at the very outset to give his powerful aid to the
undertaking. His wonderful facility and bold picturesqueness were
exactly suited to the requirements of an illustrated newspaper. The
first enabled him to do his work with marvellous quickness, and the
second was an excellent counterpoise to the damaging effects of hurried
engraving and rapid printing. The illustrations of the Queen's Bal
Masque are eight in number, including character portraits of Her Majesty
and the Prince Consort. There are two cuts from a book under review, and
the last illustration in the number represents a long line of men
carrying advertising boards 'to proclaim the advent of this important
publication.'
The first number sold well, probably because the public was curious to
see what the new paper was like. Twenty-six thousand copies were
disposed of, but there was a great falling-off in the sale of the second
number, which opened with a leading article explaining the principles
that were to guide the paper in its future career. The cut on the front
page represents the ceremony of taking the veil, and was evidently drawn
by Gilbert. The next engravings illustrate Waghorn's Overland Route to
India, then recently organized, followed by an illustrated account of
the sale at Strawberry Hill, and a portrait of a then notorious
criminal, Daniel Good, which is accompanied by an editorial apology
disclaiming all intention of joining the 'raw-head and bloody-bones'
school, but in the interests of science commending the portrait to the
disciples of Lavater. This is the only instance of such an engraving
being inserted in the paper (with the exception of the portrait of
MacNaghten, who shot Mr. Drummond), and it is evident the editor's
better feeling revolted against it, although he was only following the
example of the _Observer_ and the _Weekly Chronicle_.
[Illustration: HER MAJESTY AS QUEEN PHILIPPA. FROM THE 'ILLUSTRATED
LONDON NEWS,' MAY 14, 1842.]
The first engraving in No. 3 is a portrait of Mehemet Ali, which is
given in connexion with further illustrations of the Overland Route to
India. But the most important picture in this number is a portrait of
the Queen with the baby Prince of Wales in her lap, drawn by Gilbert.
There is also the first example of a sporting illustration--a portrait
of Attila, the winner of the Derby, which accompanies an account of
Epsom Races, with several other engravings.
[Illustration: THE QUEEN'S FIRST RAILWAY JOURNEY. FROM THE 'ILLUSTRATED
LONDON NEWS,' JUNE 19, 1842.]
[Illustration: ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF THE QUEEN. FROM THE
'ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS,' JUNE 5, 1842.]
[Illustration: MR. R. COBDEN, M.P. FROM THE 'ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS,'
JULY 2, 1842.]
An event now occurred which afforded the first important opportunity of
illustrating the news of the hour. This was the attempt on the life of
the Queen, who was fired at as she was driving up Constitution Hill by a
young man named Francis. The public excitement on this occasion was very
great, and it is a little surprising that the _Illustrated London News_
did not make more of it. In No. 4 there are two illustrations in
connexion with this event, one representing the attempted assassination,
the other the examination of the prisoner before the Privy Council. The
engravings are not very imposing, but large blocks had not then come
into use; and as the event occurred on a Monday there was not too much
time, with the limited means then at command, to produce them on a large
scale. In No. 6 there is a small cut entitled 'The Queen's first trip by
Railway,' which illustrates an account of her Majesty's first journey by
railway from Windsor to London. With the exception of the drawings by
Gilbert most of the illustrations in these first six numbers are of an
inferior character, and show that the conductors of the paper had not
yet obtained the best artistic help. Indeed it was a long time before
the higher class of artists and engravers would believe that an
illustrated newspaper was worthy of their professional attention.
Illustrations of the Police Reports continued to be scattered through
the early numbers, mingled with such subjects as a ballet at Her
Majesty's Theatre, a public dinner, a launch, a horserace, and sketches
of the Chartist riots at Preston. The Queen's first visit to Scotland
was very copiously illustrated, and a series of 'Popular Portraits' was
begun which included most of the prominent politicians of the day. In
No. 11 the fatal accident to the Duke of Orleans is illustrated; and
further on the hand of Gilbert is visible in the drawings representing
the funeral of the Duke of Sussex, the Lord Mayor's Show, and the grand
Polish Ball at Guildhall. With No. 19 the office was removed to 198
Strand, where it has remained ever since. The first Cattle Show
illustrations occur in No. 31, and it is evident that the artists by
whom they were executed had not made that kind of art their special
study. The approach of Christmas is heralded by the introduction of
various laughable sketches; the Pantomimes are illustrated by Alfred
Crowquill, and Christmas himself is welcomed in a 'Song of the Wassail
Bowl.' Kenny Meadows finishes the volume with a party of Cupids carrying
the _Illustrated London News_ through the air, while a literary and
artistic Cupid, cap in hand, makes his bow to the reader.
The first volume ends with the year 1842, and it has for a frontispiece
a large view of London, a title-page drawn by Gilbert, and headings to
preface and index by Kenny Meadows. The preface is written in the florid
style of the introductory address in the first number; but the following
passage refers, not inappropriately, to the value and interest of the
work to the future historian:--
'What would Sir Walter Scott or any of the great writers of modern times
have given--whether for the purposes of fiction or history, or political
example or disquisition--for any museum-preserved volume such as we have
here enshrined. The life of the times--the signs of its taste and
intelligence--its public monuments and public men--its
festivals--institutions--amusements--discoveries--and the very
reflection of its living manners and costumes--the variegated dresses of
its mind and body--what are--what _must_ be all these but treasures of
truth that would have lain hid in Time's tomb, or perished amid the sand
of his hour-glass but for the enduring and resuscitating powers of
art--the eternal register of the pencil giving life and vigour and
palpability to the confirming details of the pen. Could the days of
Elizabeth or others as bright and earlier still be unfolded to us
through such a mirror, what a mint of wisdom might we gather in from
such dazzling periods of the past! Of just as much captivating value
then is such a book to the future. It will pour the lore of the
Antiquarian into the scholar's yearning soul, and teach him truth about
those who have gone before him, as it were, with the Pictorial Alphabet
of Art! It is in this sense that we regard the greatness of our design,
and are proud of its envied and unexampled success; and it is for this
end that we shall strain every nerve to perfect it into order and
completeness that may accord with the beauty and brilliancy which many
episodes of its execution have already been fortunate to display. Scott
might carry Elizabeth to Kenilworth through the regions of his fine
imagination, backed and supported by books, and we may take _cum grano
salis_ the Antiquarian's and the Poet's word, but the year two thousand
will be ten times better assured of all the splendid realities of our
own Victoria's visit to the native land of the Northern Magician who
enshrined in fiction the glories of Queen Bess. This volume is a work
that history _must_ keep.'
At the end of the preface is printed the following 'Dedicatory
Sonnet:'--
'To the great public,--that gigantic soul
Which lends the nation's body life and light,
And makes the blood within its veins grow bright
With gushing glory,--we this muster-roll
Of all the deeds that pass 'neath its controul
Do dedicate,--the page of simple news
Is here adorned and filled with pictured life,
Coloured with thousand tints--the rainbow strife
Of all the world's emotions--all the hues
Of war--peace--commerce;--agriculture rife
With budding plenty that doth life infuse
And fair domestic joy--all--all are here
To gild the _new_, and from the bygone year
Present a gift to take--to cherish and to use.'
The second volume began with several improvements. A 'Romance of Real
Life,' by Henry Cockton, illustrated by Kenny Meadows, was the first
attempt to infuse a new interest into newspaper literature by the
introduction of fiction. Stories by Thomas Miller and others followed.
This feature of the paper was continued for some time until _fiction_
was crowded out by _fact_. The popular portraits were done on a larger
scale and were of a more ambitious character. In No. 40 there is one of
Lord John Russell, which is reprinted here as an example of the improved
portraiture of the period.
[Illustration: PORTRAIT OF LORD JOHN RUSSELL. FROM THE 'ILLUSTRATED
LONDON NEWS,' 1843.]
In the following year was commenced a series of 'Parliamentary
Portraits,' one of which I have selected to accompany the portrait of
Lord John Russell. It is that of Mr. Disraeli, and it will perhaps
interest the reader to compare the present estimate of Lord Beaconsfield
with what was said of Mr. Disraeli in 1844. The following is a portion
of the article which accompanies the portrait:--'The most remarkable
speeches in the recent debates have been those of Mr. Disraeli, the
Member for Shrewsbury. He has lately made himself more prominent in the
sphere of literature and politics as the expounder of the views and
opinions of that section of the Conservative party which has received
the name of "Young England." His opinions however are too peculiar, have
too much individuality ever to become those of a party. We scarcely
think "Young England" capable of holding as points of belief the
startling paradoxes to which Mr. Disraeli occasionally gives utterance.
His speeches abound with happily turned sentences, in which a clever
sarcasm is thrown into the antithetical form; they also contain a
large amount of historical information, on which he draws almost as
often as Macaulay himself. He rarely announces a positively new
principle, but he often places old ones in a strange and startling
light, and states the most extraordinary inconsistencies with an air of
such perfect earnestness and conviction that his auditors are sometimes
puzzled whether to admire or laugh at him. But he is not one of those
men who can be laughed at; we have seen him turn the laugh most sorely
against those who thought themselves securely trenched behind form and
precedent. He can hit hard, and none have suffered more from his sarcasm
than the present Premier and the Home Secretary. He seems to mangle them
with peculiar gusto, and deals with them as if he was annihilating the
Tadpole or Taper of his own "Coningsby." His speeches have not much
metaphor, nor does he indulge in rhetorical glitter and ornament; we
cannot call him impassioned, nor say he is eloquent; but he interests,
informs, and amuses. A speech from Disraeli is sure to command
attention. His manner is not calculated to set off his matter to the
best advantage. His delivery is heavy, and of action he has none
whatever. He thrusts his hands deep into his side-pockets, leans forward
a little, or turns from side to side according to whom he may be
addressing. But that is all. Though he sets the House cheering or
laughing for minutes together, his countenance remains impassive; he
says a good thing as if perfectly unconscious of it.'
The paper rapidly advanced in public favour and soon reached a
circulation of 66,000. It celebrated the completion of the first year of
its existence by the publication of a double number, profusely
illustrated by Gilbert, Harvey, and Kenny Meadows.
[Illustration: BENJAMIN DISRAELI, M.P. FROM THE 'ILLUSTRATED LONDON
NEWS,' JUNE 22, 1844.]
The _Illustrated London News_ was not established without many
misgivings as to its ultimate success. Its founder probably did not at
first realise all the difficulties that lay in his way, but as fast as
they appeared he met them with characteristic courage and energy, and
overcame them by perseverance. He seized on every opportunity to
consolidate the strength of the paper, and paid a great amount of
personal attention to its management, often denying himself sleep one or
two nights a-week. As the profits increased he kept on increasing the
scope and number of its attractive features. He made it a rule to spare
no expense in every department of the journal; whatever money could
command for its success he resolved to have. After a time he was able to
act on this wise resolve to the fullest extent, and in the end he
achieved a great success.
In describing the _Illustrated London News_ during the first year of its
existence, I have directed attention chiefly to the pictorial portion of
its contents, that being the characteristic feature of the paper by
which it was distinguished from its purely literary contemporaries. The
engravings I have reprinted from it are given as curiosities and not as
specimens of excellence. The succeeding volumes contain abundant
evidence that the highest talent was afterwards employed in producing
the best examples of art as well as in the illustration of news. In its
sixth year the course of public events opened up new and stirring scenes
for its pages. So great was the interest felt in the exciting events of
the year 1848, that the sale of the _Illustrated London News_ was more
than doubled in three months. The vigorous sketches of the French
Revolution published week after week were so eagerly bought that the
publisher was not always able to meet the demand. On one occasion he was
freely pelted with flour and other harmless missiles because the London
'trade' could not get their supply soon enough to satisfy their
impatience. The noisy newsboys, in mocking imitation of the Paris mob
which was then making the streets of that city ring with cries of 'a bas
Guizot!' vented their indignation against the publisher of the
_Illustrated London News_ by shouting 'a bas Little! a bas Little!'
But though the year of revolutions was so rich in materials for
pictorial journalism, the year of the Great Exhibition was yet more
fruitful. The Great Exhibition of 1851 was a perfect novelty, and was
hailed as the harbinger of peace on earth and good-will among men.
Coming so soon after the convulsions of 1848, the peaceful display was
more enchanting from the contrast. Such a golden opportunity was not
lost upon the pictorial press, and every stage of the construction of
the first Crystal Palace was represented. The very plan of the building
was first made public in the pages of the _Illustrated London News_, the
first design adopted by the Commissioners having been superseded by Sir
Joseph Paxton's Palace of Glass. The building was shown in progress from
the raising of the first column, and its removal was illustrated to the
clearing away of the foundations. In this 'Festival of Labour' the
_Illustrated London News_ took a prominent place. An edition was printed
in the Exhibition building by one of Applegarth's vertical
printing-machines, then the quickest method of printing in use. At this
time the paper was distinguished by the number and excellence of its
illustrations, and the '_London News_' printing-machine was one of the
attractions of the 'World's Fair.'
In three years more the dreams of universal peace created by the Great
Exhibition were rudely swept away by the declaration of war with Russia
and subsequent invasion of the Crimea. The long and disastrous siege of
Sebastopol, the assaults on the Redan and the Malakoff, the battles of
Balaclava and Inkermann, supplied the most exciting subjects for
illustration. It was the first great war since Waterloo, and the
national excitement being intensified by the maladministration of the
Government, the British public eagerly bought the war sketches. The sale
of the paper at this time was very great, yet it is a curious fact that
it never reached so high a figure as during the peaceful exhibition of
1851,--a proof that, after all, the arts of peace are more attractive
than the excitement of war.
At Christmas, 1855, a novel feature was introduced into the _Illustrated
London News_. For some years a Christmas number had been published, and
it was now for the first time printed in _colours_. It is true the
coloured pictures were little more than ordinary woodcuts with tints
printed over them, but their imperfections were principally owing to the
breakdown of machinery and the great hurry in which they were produced.
In after years much better things were done, and the coloured Christmas
pictures which have been for many years produced at the chromatic press
of Leighton Bros. take rank among the best work of the kind. They have
proved exceedingly popular, and always sold well. That of 'Little Red
Riding Hood,' after J. Sant, R.A., published in 1863, was reprinted
again and again, until the blocks were utterly worn out. They were then
re-engraved, and again reprinted. The Christmas picture issued in 1882
('Cinderella') was specially painted by Mr. Millais, R.A., at the price
of 3000 guineas. When it is noted that the large coloured reproduction
of this picture, together with seventeen highly finished full-page
engravings by some of the best artists of the day, were sold for a
shilling, it will be seen that the pictorial press is no unimportant
factor in diffusing the purifying and softening influence of art.
During the forty-two years that have elapsed since the first illustrated
newspaper was founded, there has never been any long interval of peace.
War of some kind, big or little, has broken out, like a volcano, on some
part of the earth's surface, and kept the Argus-eyed newspaper editor on
the alert. From Alma to Tel-el-Kebir and the desert warfare of the
Soudan, there has been a succession of conflicts, with only a short
interval of a few years between; so that the food on which picture
newspapers thrive best has been abundantly supplied, and this remarkable
offspring of the printing-press has consequently increased and
multiplied, and is now found in every corner of the earth, 'from China
to Peru.' The reader may form some idea of the magnitude of the
operations in connexion with illustrated journalism when I state that at
the marriage of the Prince of Wales the _Illustrated London News_ of
that week consisted of three sheets, and 930,000 sheets were printed of
that issue in one week. These sheets, if placed side by side, would
cover 660 miles, so that, as they were printed on both sides, they
represent a printed surface of, after deductions for margin, more than
1115 miles in length. Nearly eighty tons of paper and twenty-three
hundredweight of printing-ink were used in the production of that
number. Larger quantities have been printed of some issues, but the
production was spread over a longer period of time. 930,000 sheets is
the largest quantity ever printed _in one week_. It will thus be seen
what an amount of business this represents to the paper-maker, the
ink-maker, the wood-draughtsman, the engravers, the electrotypers, the
compositors, printers, machine-men, roller-makers, warehousemen, and the
numerous other workers in a newspaper printing-office.
The first editor of the _Illustrated London News_ was Mr. Bailey, who
was nicknamed 'Alphabet Bailey' on account of the great number of his
Christian names, and the consequent multiplicity of his initials. He was
also called 'Omnibus Bailey' from his having edited a periodical called
the _Omnibus_. These names were given to him to distinguish him from Mr.
Thomas Haynes Bayley, the sentimental song-writer, author of 'I'd be a
Butterfly,' 'The Soldier's Tear,' &c. Dr. Charles Mackay became the
literary and political editor of the paper in 1848, and in 1852 he took
its entire management and control, in which position he continued till
1859, when he resigned. The late John Timbs was for many years on the
editorial staff, and his familiar figure is well remembered in the old
room at 198 Strand, where he sat with paste and scissors, undisturbed by
the noises which surrounded him both inside and outside the house, for
in this one room the whole business of the paper was at one time
conducted. Here the young literary or artistic aspirant, who thought he
saw in the new journal an opening for his hitherto unappreciated
talents, had to explain his proposals before the eyes and in the hearing
of rivals who were waiting for their turn. The place was open to all
comers, and was at once the centre of managerial, financial, and
editorial affairs. But the founder of the paper received all who came
with good-humour and generous feeling, and never disregarded a useful
hint or refused the proffered assistance of a good man.
Herbert Ingram, the founder of the _Illustrated London News_, was born
at Boston, Lincolnshire, on the 27th of May, 1811. He lost his father
very early, and being sent to the Boston Free School, he there obtained
all the school education he ever received. The course of instruction
through which he passed was of the most circumscribed character, making
his success in after-life all the more remarkable. At the age of
fourteen he was apprenticed to Mr. Jos. Clarke, then a printer living in
the Market Place, Boston. His master soon found that he possessed
industry, patience, and perseverance in a high degree, qualities which
unquestionably lay at the root of his subsequent success in life. He was
always ready to work all night when orders were plentiful, and was
unwilling to abandon anything he began until it was entirely complete.
He established a character for punctuality and trustworthiness, while he
carefully looked after the interests of his employer. At the expiration
of his apprenticeship he came to London and worked for about two years
as a journeyman printer. He then settled in Nottingham, and commenced
business as a printer, bookseller, and newsagent.
It was at this time Mr. Ingram was struck with the evident partiality of
the public for _illustrated news_. He found such an extraordinary demand
for the numbers of the _Weekly Chronicle_ containing the engravings of
the Greenacre murder that he set seriously to work on the scheme of an
illustrated newspaper, and put himself in communication with Mr.
Marriott, who was then the manager of the _Weekly Chronicle_. But at the
outset it appeared impossible to overcome the difficulty of producing
pictures quick enough and in such numbers as would furnish forth a paper
while the news was fresh. In the gradual development of the first
illustrated newspaper it was, however, found that the draughtsmen and
engravers of the day were fully equal to the demands made upon them, and
a system of quick production was soon established which kept the paper
on a level with current events.
Mr. Ingram, who had settled in London before he started the _Illustrated
London News_, entered heart and soul into his new enterprise. He had
much to learn, and many things to do that were neither easy nor
pleasant, but he had the rare faculty of picking out the right men to
help him. It was his wise policy to employ the best talent, and in order
to have it to pay its possessor munificently. He was brought closely
into connexion with the artistic and literary world, by whom he was
sincerely respected, and with whom his dealings were uniformly marked by
kindness and liberality. Though he had not himself received the
advantages of literary or artistic culture, he was able to do much in
diffusing a knowledge and love of art amongst the people. His enterprise
helped to change the character of public taste, and allured it into
channels which were previously open only to the wealthy and the refined.
His practical knowledge as a printer and newsagent were of infinite
value in organizing and conducting the varied details of newspaper
business. He was ever on the watch, and made opportunities where other
men would have been indifferent and inactive. When a new Archbishop of
Canterbury was installed the number of the paper containing an engraving
of the ceremony was sent to every clergyman in England, and this was
followed by a large and permanent increase in the number of
subscribers--the first large rise in the sale since the paper began. At
a much later date--long after the paper had become firmly
established--the French authorities stopped the sale of the _Illustrated
London News_ in Paris on account of some article reflecting on the
Emperor Napoleon. Mr. Ingram happened to be in Paris at the time, and he
immediately showed that the old energy and perseverance of the
Nottingham newsvendor had not forsaken him. He used great exertions to
get the paper released, in which he at length succeeded, and he himself
afterwards went round in a cab and delivered the numbers to the various
subscribers. When he was at Nottingham he walked five miles (and of
course five miles back) to supply a gentleman with a single paper; and
on one occasion he got up at two in the morning, and travelled to London
to get some papers, the ordinary post not arriving soon enough to
satisfy the curiosity of his customers. His exertions were rewarded by
the sale of more than 1000 copies of that paper in Nottingham alone.
This was probably one of the occasions which struck him so forcibly when
the Nottingham public manifested such an eager interest in _illustrated
news_.
Throughout his life Mr. Ingram was devoted to the interests of his
native town, and in return the people of Boston, in 1856, elected him as
their representative in Parliament. At the general election which
occurred after the dissolution in 1857 he was returned again. Amongst
other social and political questions in which he took an active interest
he was prominent in the agitation for the repeal of the stamp duty on
newspapers. He also exerted himself zealously for the repeal of the
paper duty, but he died before that important movement was brought to a
successful issue. In 1848 Mr. Ingram started a cheap daily paper--the
_Morning Telegraph_--upon which he spent a large amount of money. He
was, however, before the time in this instance. The era of cheap daily
papers had not begun, and after a time the new speculation was
abandoned. He was one of the original shareholders of the _Great
Eastern_ steamship, and was on board the giant vessel when the accident
occurred on her trial trip from the Nore to Portland Harbour. It is a
remarkable circumstance that the dreadful catastrophe in which he lost
his life happened on the anniversary of this accident on board the
_Great Eastern_.
[Illustration: HERBERT INGRAM, FOUNDER OF THE 'ILLUSTRATED LONDON
NEWS.']
In 1860 Mr. Ingram visited America accompanied by his eldest son. They
left Liverpool in the _North American_ on the 9th of August, and landed
at Quebec in time to witness, after traversing the Lower St. Lawrence,
the knocking in of the 'last wedge' of the Victoria Bridge at Montreal
by the Prince of Wales. They then went on to Niagara, where they stayed
some days. From Niagara Mr. Ingram proceeded to Chicago, intending to
cross the prairies, and to follow the Mississippi to New Orleans, and
thence to New York, but more especially to Boston, which old
associations of history had determined him to make the conclusion of his
sojourn in the United States. He altered his plans, however, and decided
to visit Lake Superior, and to prolong his stay in America, proposing to
return to England about the end of October.
Mr. Ingram left Chicago at midnight on the 7th of September, accompanied
by his son, in the _Lady Elgin_ steamer, bound on an excursion up Lakes
Michigan and Superior. Nearly four hundred persons were on board. The
wind blew hard from the north-east, and a heavy sea was running, but no
one thought of danger, and there was music and dancing in the saloon.
Thirty miles from Chicago and ten miles from land, about two o'clock on
the morning of the 8th, there came a sudden crash. The schooner
_Augusta_, sailing at the rate of eleven knots an hour, had struck the
_Lady Elgin_ on the midships gangway, and then, having her sails set,
and the wind blowing freshly, drifted off in the darkness. At first it
was not thought that any serious damage had been done to the steamer,
but those on board soon found that she was settling fast. The captain
ordered parts of the woodwork of the vessel to be cut adrift to serve as
rafts, and made such other provisions as the hurry would allow. In less
than half-an-hour the hurricane deck floated off, and the hulk with the
machinery went to the bottom with a tremendous noise. When the vessel
parted all lights were extinguished, and the unfortunate passengers were
left struggling amid the waves in total darkness. The steamer sank in
three hundred feet of water, the sea was running high, and the land was
ten miles away. Some of those who survived to see the dawn were drifted
towards the shore on pieces of the wreck, and were drowned in the surf
in the sight of hundreds of spectators. Out of 393 persons on board
only 114 were saved. Among the drowned were Mr. Ingram and his son. The
body of Mr. Ingram was washed ashore about sixteen miles from Chicago,
and every effort was used to restore animation, but in vain. The body of
his son was never found.
The citizens of Chicago were profoundly impressed by the melancholy fate
of father and son, so far away from home and friends. Mr. Ingram's
remains were escorted from the Brigg's House Hotel to the railway
station by a procession of more than eight hundred of the British
residents in the neighbourhood. The body was taken to Quebec and
conveyed on board the _Bohemian_ steamer, which arrived at Liverpool on
the 2nd of October. From thence the remains were removed to Boston, and
interred in the new cemetery at Skirbeck, about a mile from the centre
of the town. On the day of the funeral all the shops and places of
business in Boston were closed, the inhabitants filled the streets and
followed the procession up to the gates of the cemetery. It was in every
sense a public funeral, and afforded the strongest testimony of the
respect in which the memory of the deceased was held by his
fellow-townsmen. Two years afterwards, on October 6th, 1862, a statue of
Mr. Ingram, raised by public subscription, was unveiled in the
market-place at Boston. The life that began in the quaint old
Lincolnshire town and ended amid the stormy waters of Lake Michigan, has
now an enduring memorial standing not far from the spot where Herbert
Ingram was born.
The _Illustrated London News_ no sooner became an assured success than
it was imitated. The _Pictorial Times_ was the first competitor that
entered the field, and a very strong literary staff was collected to
contend for the new path that had been opened. Douglas Jerrold wrote the
leading articles; Thackeray was critic and reviewer, in which capacity
he reviewed Macaulay's _Essays_ and Disraeli's _Coningsby_; Mark Lemon
was dramatic critic, Peter Cunningham art critic, while Gilbert
A'Beckett was the humorous contributor; the managing editor was Henry
Vizetelly, and Knight Hunt, author of the _Fourth Estate_, afterwards
editor of the _Daily News_, was the sub-editor. One man who has since
become famous as a journalist was amongst the artists employed on the
new paper. Those who only know Mr. George Augustus Sala as a brilliant
writer will be surprised to learn that he is also a facile draughtsman,
and was on the artistic staff of the _Pictorial Times_ in 1847. The
_Pictorial Times_ was continued for several years, but it never achieved
such a measure of success as to become permanently established. A story
used to be told in connexion with it which gave some countenance to the
popular belief that some of the sketches in illustrated newspapers were
evolved from the inner consciousness of the artists. I cannot answer for
the truth of the anecdote, but I know it served to amuse the world of
Bohemia at the time. When the Queen and Prince Albert went first to
Scotland, the newspapers in recording the movements of the royal party
related, among other things (quoting a Scottish contemporary), that Her
Majesty and the Prince had gone one day to 'see the shearing.' The
conductors of the _Pictorial Times_ seeing this, and being anxious to
present their readers with a perfect record of the royal doings,
forthwith set an artist to work to produce a pleasant pastoral scene,
with a group of shepherds _shearing their sheep_--not knowing that
'shearing' in Scotland means _cutting the corn_, and forgetting for the
moment that sheep-shearing is not usually done in the autumn.
Much energy and capital have been expended on several other attempts to
found pictorial journals in London, but most of them failed to secure a
profitable footing. _Pen and Pencil_ contained some capital cuts by
Linton; and the _Illustrated Times_, a threepenny paper, was well done.
The _Illustrated News of the World_, in addition to numerous woodcuts,
issued portraits engraved on steel. _The Ladies' Newspaper_ was started
to fill a supposed void in journalism, but was ultimately absorbed by
the _Queen_, in which connexion it still flourishes. The _Illustrated
Midland News_ was brought out in Manchester, but it could not find in
that city and its neighbourhood sufficient sustenance to subsist beyond
a brief period. The _Illustrated London and Provincial News_ in its
title endeavoured to attract both town and country, but it only had a
short career. While these different ventures were in progress, the
_Penny Illustrated Paper_ appealed to a lower stratum of the public with
great success, and it has now a very large sale, having combined the
_Illustrated Times_ with its original title. In some of these
enterprises the promoters appear to have been unable to shake off, in
choosing their titles, the fascinating influence of the word
'illustrated.' A joint-stock company broke the spell, and started a
paper with the very original title of the _Graphic_ on the eve of the
great war between France and Germany. It was a most favourable time for
establishing a new paper, and the conductors handled the opportunity
with great ability and success. The printing and general _get-up_ of the
_Graphic_ are excellent, and it has earned for itself a wide popularity.
The _Pictorial World_ was started as a threepenny paper, and after
existing several years at that price it became the property of a company
and was raised to sixpence. During the Egyptian War it made strenuous
efforts to obtain a footing on the same platform with the _Illustrated
London News_ and the _Graphic_. The large lithographic portraits
published by the _Pictorial World_ were very good. As the public taste
improved under the influence of the pictorial press new fields were
opened up for cultivation by the enterprising journalist. The
_Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News_ addressed itself not only to
the sportsman and actor, but also to that section of the public which
finds amusement in the incidents and humours of the sporting world and
the stage. It has deservedly obtained a good position. The last new
comer on the journalistic stage is the _Ladies' Pictorial_, which has
recently been enlarged and greatly improved. Its light and elegant
contents are well suited to the tastes of its numerous patrons. All the
existing illustrated papers in London have their publishing offices in
the 'Line of Literature,' as Fleet Street and the Strand have been
called. In the streets and courts in the neighbourhood are housed
numbers of engravers and draughtsmen, who find it mutually convenient to
work in the vicinity of the head-quarters of pictorial journalism. Many
of the same fraternity consume the midnight oil in distant suburbs,
their work gravitating to the great centre in the morning.
All the countries of Europe, the United States, some of the cities of
South America, the Colonies of Canada and Australia, have now their
illustrated newspapers. Some of them supplement their own productions by
reproducing the engravings from the English papers, and many have
attained a high degree of artistic merit. The American journals are
especially noteworthy for their excellent engravings.
[Illustration]