Barnard's 59 Illustrations for Dickens's "Nicholas Nickleby" in the Household Edition (1875)

1. Uncaptioned Title-Page vignette: Newman Noggs.

2. "The schoolmaster and his companion looked steadily at each other for a few seconds, and then exchanged a very meaning smile." — Chap. IV, To face page 18.
3. Half-title, uncaptioned:Ralph Nickleby and Newman Noggs — Chap. I, p. 1.
4. "The uncle and nephew looked at each other for some seconds without speaking" — Chap. III, p. 13.
5. "Snubs and Romans are plentiful enough, and there are flats of all sorts and sizes when there's a meeting at Exeter Hall." — Chap. V, p. 21.
6. "Very glad to make your acquaintance, miss," said Squeers, raising his hat an inch or two" — Chap. V, p. 25.
7. "On the opposite side of the fire, there sat with folded arms a wrinkled hideous figure" — Chap. VI, p. 37.
8. The First Class in English Spelling and Philosophy — Chap. VIII, p. 45.
9. "Pain and fear, pain and fear for me, alive or dead. No hope, no hope!" — Chap. VIII, p. 49.
10. "Oh! as soft as possible, if you please." — Chap. IX, p. 53
11. Kate walked sadly back to their lodgings in the Strand — Chap. X, p. 68
12. "Wretch," rejoined Nicholas, fiercely, "touch him at your peril! I will not stand by, and see it done. My blood is up, and I have the strength of ten such men as you.", — Chap. XIII, p. 80.
13. "I can — not help it, and it don't signify," sobbed Mrs. Kenwigs. "Oh! they're too beautiful to live, much too beautiful!" — Chap. XIV, p. 85.
14. There came into the office an applicant, in whose favour he immediately retired, and whose appearance both surprised and interested him. — Chap. XVI, p. 96.
15. "I don't forget you, my soul, and never shall, and never can,' said Mantalini, kissing his wife's hand, and grimacing aside to Miss Nickleby, who turned away — Chap. XVII, p. 108.
16. "A miserable wretch," exclaimed Mr. Knag, striking his forehead. "A miserable wretch" — Chap. XVII, p. 113.
17. "I am afraid you have been giving her some of your wicked looks, my lord," said the intended. — Chap. XVIII, p. 117
18. But the young lady making a violent effort to disengage herself, he lost his balance, and measured his length upon the ground. — Chap. XIX, p. 124.
19. "You can give him that 'ere card, and tell him if he wants to speak to me, and save trouble, here I am; that's all" — p. 125 — Chap. XXI, To face p. 132 [full-page illustration].
20. The dressing-room door being hastily flung open, Mr. Mantalini was disclosed to view, with his shirt collar symmetrically thrown back: putting a fine edge to a breakfast knife by means of his razor strop. — Chap. XXI, p. 133.
21. "Mr. Crummles looked, from time to time, with great interest at Smike, with whom he had appeared considerably struck from the first. He had now fallen asleep, and was nodding in his chair." — Chap. XXII, p. 144.
22. The Indian Savage and the Maiden — Chap. XXIII, p. 148.
23. "As an exquisite embodiment of the poet's visions, and a realisation of human intellectuality, gilding with a refulgent light our dreamy moments, and laying open a new and magic world before the mental eye, the drama is gone, perfectly gone," said Mr. Curdle. — Chap. XXIV, p. 157.
24. "Nickleby," said his client, throwing himself along the sofa on which he had been previously seated, so as to bring his lips nearer to the old man's ear, "what a pretty creature your niece is!" — Chap. XXVI, p. 169.
25. Sir Mulberry Hawk and his friend exchanged glances over the top of the bonnet. — Chap. XXVI, p. 172.
26. "I see how it is," said poor Noggs, drawing from his pocket what seemed to be a very old duster, and wiping Kate's eye with it as gently as if she were an infant. — Chap. XXVIII, p. 188.
27. "But they shall not protect he!" said the tragedian, taking an upward look at Nicholas, beginning at his boots and ending at the crown of his head, &c. — Chap. XXIX, p. 192.
28. "Mr. Snevellicci repeated the wink, and, drinking to Mrs. Lillyvick in dumb-show, actually blew her a kiss" — Chap. XXX, p. 200
29. Lashing himself up to an extravagant pitch of fury, Newman Noggs jerked himself about the room with the most eccentric motion ever beheld in a Bhutan being — Chap. XXXI, p. 205.
30. Sir Mulberry, shortening his whip, applied it furiously the head and shoulders of Nicholas. It was broken in the struggle; Nicholas gained the heavy handle, and with it laid open one side of his antagonist's face from the eye to the lip. — Chap. XXXII, To face p. 211.
31. "Look at them tears, sir," said Squeers with a triumphant air, as Master Whackford whiped his eyes with the cuff of his jacket; "there's oiliness!" — Chap. XXXIV, p. 220.
32. Night found him, at last, still harping on the same theme, and still perusing the same unprofitable reflections — Chap. XXXV, p. 224.
33. "I'm not coming an hour later in the morning, you know," said Tim, breaking out all at once, and looking very resolute. "I'm not going to sleep in the fresh air — no, nor I'm not going into the country either." — Chap. XXXVI, p. 232.
34. With this the doctor laughed; but he didn't laugh half as much as a married friend of Mrs. Kenwig's, who had just come in from the sick chamber" — Chap. XXXVI, p. 236.
35. "Ye-es,"said the other, turning full upon him. "If you had told him who you were; if you had given him your card, and found out, afterwards, that his station or character prevented your fighting him, it would have been enough then." — Chap. XXXVIII, p. 249.
36. "Darting in, covered Smike's mouth with his huge hand before he could utter a sound" — Chap. XXXIX, p. 257.
37. The Meditative Ogre — Chap. XL, p. 264.
38. Concluded by standing on one leg, and repeating his favourite bellow with increased vehemence — Chap. XLI, p. 272.
39. "I say," said John, rather astounded for the moment, "mak' theself quite at whoam, will 'ee?" — Chap. XLII, p. 277.
40. Fell upon his face in a passion of bitter grief — Chap. XLIII, p. 288.
41. "I am a most miserable and wretched outcast, nearly sixty years old, and as destitute and helpless as a child of six" — Chap. XLIV, p. 293.
42. "Mr. Squeers executes an impromptu 'Pas Seul'" — Chap. XLVI, p. 301.
43. "No matter! Do you think you bring your paltry money here s a favour or gift; or as a matter of business, and in return for value received?" — Chap. XLVII, p. 309.
44. Was presently conducted by a robber, with a very large belt and buckle round his waist, and very large leather gauntlets on his hands, into the presence of the former manager — Chap. XLVIII, p. 320.
45. "Aha!" cried the old gentleman, folding his hands, and squeezing them with great force against each other. "I see her now; I see her now! My love, my life, my bridge, my peerless beauty! She is come at last — at last — and all is gas and gaiters." — Chap. XLIX, p. 328.
46. "Two men, seizing each other by the throat, struggled into the middle of the room." — Chap. L, p. 336.
47. "All the light and life of day came on; and amidst it all, and pressing down the grass whose every blade bore twenty tiny lives, lay the dead man, with his stark and rigid face turned upwards to the sky." — Chap. L, To face p. 337 [full-page illustration].
48. "I'll be married in the bottle-green, cried Arthur Gride." — Chap. LI, p. 341.
49. "I must beseech you to contemplate again the fearful curse to which you have been impelled." — Chap. LIII, p. 353.
50. "Thieves! thieves!" screamed the usurer, starting up and holding his book to his breast. "Robbers! murder!" — Chap. LIII, p. 357.
51. "He drew Ralph Nickleby to the further end of the room, and pointed towards Gride, who sat huddled together in a corner, fumbling nervously with the buttons of his coat, and exhibiting a face, of which every skulking and base expression was sharpened and aggravated to the utmost by his anxiety and trepidation." — Chap. LIV, p. 361.
52. "There is something missing, you say," said Ralph, shaking him furiously by the collar. "What is it?" — Chap. LVI, p. 373.
53. "Do you see his? This is a bottle." — Chap. LVII, p. 380.
54. "Who tampered with a selfish father, urging him to sell his daughter to old Arthur Gride, and tampered with Gride, too, and did so in the little office, with a closet in the room?" — Chap. LIX, p. 392.
55. "Total, all up with Squeers!" — Chap. LX, p. 396.
56. Ralph makes one last appointment — and keeps it. — Chap. XLII, To face p. 406.
57. "Clasping the iron railings with his hands, looked eagerly in, wondering which might be his grave." — Chap. LXIII, p. 408.
58. "No, no, I'm not. I'm not indeed," said Tim. "I will, if you will. Do my dear!" — Chap. LXIII, p. 412.

59. Uncaptioned tail-piece: The little people could do nothing without dear Newman Noggs — Chap. LXV, p. 420.

Significant British Programs of Illustration Prior to Fred Barnard's

Whereas across the Atlantic both Sol Eytinge, Jr. and Felix Octavius Carr Darley had illustrated this early Dickens novel, in Great Britain the work's principal illustrator prior to the Household Edition volume of 1875 had been Hablot Knight Browne (Phiz). As became his habit, Dickens had provided his principal illustrator with highly specific directions for the thirty-nine illustrations issued over the twenty-month serialisation. Barnard had the additional benefit of Phiz's friendship, so that he would have learned much about the development of the 1838-39 series of steel-engravings from the original illustrator himself.

However, as a Bozophile Barnard probably was aware of the existence of some post-serialisation illustrations, beginning with the portrait of Charles Dickens that Finden engraved from a portrait of twenty-seven-year-old author by Daniel Maclise for the first edition's frontispiece (issued in October 1839). As a sort of road map to the picaresque story, Barnard would have consulted the fanciful and exuberant monthly wrapper. He probably had also seen and studied the extra illustrations that appeared as Chapman and Hall issued the cheap editions and the Illustrated Library Edition.

Commentary: From the "Introductory Note" to Scenes and Characters from Dickens (1908)

Commissioned by Dickens's chief publishers, Chapman and Hall, to illustrate a wholly new, uniform edition of his works, were leading British illustrators of the sixties, led by Fred Barnard, but including

Related material, including front matter and sketches, by other illustrators

Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]

Bibliography

Barnard, J. "Fred" (il.). Charles Dickens's Nicholas Nickleby, with fifty-nine illustrations. The Works of Charles Dickens: The Household Edition. 22 vols. London: Chapman and Hall, 1875. Volume 15. Rpt. 1890.

Barnard, Fred, et al. Scenes and Characters from Dickens. London: Chapman & Hall, 1908.

Dickens, Charles. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. Illustrated by Phiz (Hablot Knight Browne). London: Chapman and Hall, 1839.

_________. Nicholas Nickleby. Illustrated by F. O. C. Darley and John Gilbert. The Works of Charles Dickens. The Household Edition. 55 vols. New York: Sheldon and Company, 1862. Vols. 1-4.

_________. Nicholas Nickleby. With 39 illustrations by Hablot K. Browne ("Phiz"). London: Chapman & Hall, 1839.

_______. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. With fifty-two illustrations by C. S. Reinhart. The Household Edition. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1875. I.

_________. Nicholas Nickleby. With 59 illustrations by Fred Barnard. The Household Edition. 22 vols. London: Chapman & Hall, 1875. XV.

_________. Nicholas Nickleby. Illustrated by Harry Furniss. The Charles Dickens Library Edition. 18 vols. London: Educational Book, 1910. IV.

_________ , and Fred Barnard. The Dickens Souvenir Book. London: Chapman & Hall, 1912.

Hammerton, J. A. "Chapter 12: Nicholas Nickleby." The Dickens Picture-Book. The Charles Dickens Library Edition. Illustrated by Harry Furniss. 18 vols. London: Educational Book Co., 1910. XVII. Pp. 147-170.

Kitton, Frederic George. Dickens and His Illustrators: Cruikshank, Seymour, Buss, "Phiz," Cattermole, Leech, Doyle, Stanfield, Maclise, Tenniel, Frank Stone, Landseer, Palmer, Topham, Marcus Stone, and Luke Fildes. Amsterdam: S. Emmering, 1972. Re-print of the London 1899 edition.

Lester Valerie Browne. Chapter 8., "Travels with Boz." Phiz: The Man Who Drew Dickens. London: Chatto and Windus, 2004. 58-69.

Schlicke, Paul, ed. The Oxford Reader'sCompanion to Dickens. Oxford and New York: Oxford U. P., 1999.

Steig, Michael. Chapter 2. "The Beginnings of 'Phiz': Pickwick, Nickleby, and the Emergence from Caricature." Dickens and Phiz. Bloomington & London: Indiana U. P., 1978. 14-50.

Vann, J. Don. "Nicholas Nickleby." Victorian Novels in Serial. New York: The Modern Language Association, 1985. 63.

Last modified 29 January 2021

Barnard's 59 Illustrations for Dickens's Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby by Fred Barnard (from the Household Edition, 1875)

Philip V. Allingham, Contributing Editor, Victorian Web; Professor Emeritus, Lakehead University

Significant British Programs of Illustration Prior to Fred Barnard's

Commentary: From the "Introductory Note" to Scenes and Characters from Dickens (1908)

Related material, including front matter and sketches, by other illustrators

Bibliography