Harry French's Twenty Plates for Dickens's Hard Times for These Times in the British Household Edition (1870s)

Philip V. Allingham, Contributing Editor, Victorian Web; Faculty of Education, Lakehead University (Canada)

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After the initial (serial) unillustrated publication of Dickens's Hard Times for These Times in Household Words in 1854, the first cheap edition (1865) had a single plate, frontispiece by A. Boyd Houghton. For the 1868 Library Edition, painter and magazine-illustrator Frederick Walker, R.W. S. and A. R. A. (1840-1875), had provided four drawings to accompany to accompany Hard Times. The next significant artist to illustrate the short novel was Harry French, who provided a comprehensive programme of a frontispiece and nineteen full-size (generally half- page) plates for the Household Edition published by Chapman and Hall in the 1870s (134 pages, double- columned as are those in Household Words are). The following illustrations appear compliments of The Dickens House Museum, 48 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2LX.

Related materials

• Illustrated Editions of Hard Times
• General Commentary

Plates and Commentary

• "Louisa, My Dear, You Are the Subject Of A Proposal of Marriage That Has Been Made To Me."
• Untitled [Ringmaster Sleary and His Daughter, Josephine, Costumed as a Horse-Rider.]
• Untitled: [Thomas Gradgrind Apprehends His Children Louisa and Tom at the Circus.]
• "'This Is a Very Obtrusive Lad!' Said Mr. Gradgrind."
• "'It Would Be A Fine Thing To Be You, Miss Louisa!'"
• "'Heaven's Mercy, Woman!' He Cried, Falling Farther Off From The Figure. 'Has Thou Come Back Agen?'"
• "He Felt A Touch Upon His Arm."
• "He Went Down Upon His Knee Before Her On The Poor Mean Stairs, And Put An End Of Her Shawl To His Lips."
• "'This, Sir,' Said Bounderby, 'Is My Wife, Mrs. Bounderby.'"
• "'What A Comical Brother-In-Law You Are!'"
• 'Heaven Help Us Aw In This World!'."
• "'Mrs. Bounderby, I Esteem It A Most Fortunate Accident That I Find You Alone Here.'"
• "Left Alone With Her Mother, Louisa Saw Her Lying With An Awful Lull Upon Her Face."
• "Mrs. Sparsit Advanced Closer To Them."
• "'I Only Entreat You To Believe, My Favourite Child, That I Have Meant To Do Right.'"
• "'You Have Seen Me Once Before, Young Lady,' Said Rachael."
• <"She Stooped Down On The Grass At His Side, And Bent Over Him."
• 'Now, Thethilia, I Don't Athk To Know Any Thecreth, But I Thuppothe I May Conthider Thith To Be Mith Thquire.'"
• "Here Was Louisa, On The Night Of The Same Day, Watching The Fire As In Days Of Yore."
• 20. Untitled: [A crowd has gathered in the street to read one of the posted broadsides exonerating Stephen Blackpool of charges associated with the bank robbery]

Characters by Number of Appearances Plates

Louisa 12 No. 1, 5, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19.

Thomas Gradgrind 5 No. 1, 4, 15, 16, and 17.

Stephen Blackpool 5 No. 6, 7, 8, 11, and 17.

James Harthouse 5 No. 9, 10, 11, 12, and 14.

Josiah Bounderby 5 No. 4, 9, 11, 16 and 17.

Tom 4 No. 3, 10, 11, and 16.

Rachae l3 No. 8, 16, and 17.

SissyJupe 3 No. 5, 17, and 18.

Sleary 2 No. 2, 18

Josephine Sleary 1 No. 2.

E.W. B. Childers 1 No. 4.

Master Kidderminster 1 No. 4.

Mrs.Blackpool 1 No. 6.

Mrs.Pegler 1 No. 7.

Mrs.Gradgrind 1 No. 13.

Mrs.Sparsit 1 No. 14.

Characters not depicted: Bitzer, Slackbridge, Sissy's father, Jane Gradgrind, and Merrylegs

Reference List

Dickens,Charles. Hard Times with twenty illustrations by H. French. London: Chapman and Hall [1875?].

Hammerton, J. A. The Dickens Picture-Book. London: Educational Book [1910].

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Created 17 April 2002

Last modified 25 December 2019