Death of Master Graham by George Cattermole. 3 ¼ x 4 ⅞ inches (8.3 cm by 12.5 cm). Vignetted, wood-engraved. Master Humphrey's Clock, No. 1 (4 April 1840), fifth plate in the series. Headpiece for Part 2 of "First Night of the Giant Chronicles," p. 13. [Click on the images to enlarge them. Mouse over the text links.]
Passage Illustrated: Having Been Shot, Master Graham is Carried Upstairs, Dead
— many people in the concourse cried that they had seen a spirit glide across the little casement window of the Bowyer’s house —
A dead silence succeeded. After a short time some of the flushed and heated throng laid down their arms and softly carried the body within doors. Others fell off or slunk away in knots of two or three, others whispered together in groups, and before a numerous guard which then rode up could muster in the street, it was nearly empty for the first time into light and sunshine from some dark corner of these old walls.
Those who carried Master Graham to the bed up-stairs were shocked to see a woman lying beneath the window with her hands clasped together. After trying to recover her in vain, they laid her near the citizen, who still retained, tightly grasped in his right hand, the first and last sword that was broken that day at Lud Gate. ["First Night of the Giant Chronicles," 22]
Commentary: The High Drama of the Burgher's Triumph and Assassination
Several details in Cattermole's elegant illustration of the death of the devoted apprentice stand out. The well-dressed figure on the bed who still clutches the broken rapier is far from young. Thus, Cattermole signals to the reader that the protagonist will die in a fray as a burgess rather than as a youth. Then, at the foot of the bed, the illustrator has shown the consternation of the citizens over the body of the young woman (Mistress Alice, the bowyer's penitent daughter) after their vain attempts to revive her. Finally, the open casement seems to allude to the mystery of who fired the fatal shot after Graham had despatched his rival.
At that moment a shot from an unseen hand, apparently fired by some person who had gained access to one of the opposite houses, struck Graham in the brain, and he fell dead. [22]
Thus, Cattermole establishes in the viewers' minds that the romance between Master Gramam and Mistress Alice will terminate in tragedy, and that all events in the story will tend towards of the lovers, not in youth but in middle-age.
Relevant Illustrations from Other Editions (1872-1910)
Left: Harry Furniss's focus is on the bowyer's daughter, not the devoted apprentice: The Penitent's Return (1910). Centre: Fred Barnard in the Household Edition leads off with an early scene from the story: At such times, . . . the Bowyer’s daughter would look timidly back at Hugh (1879). Right: W. H. C. Groome devotes two full-page illustrations to this short story: the first establishes the characters in The bowyer's daughter would look timidly back; the second depicts Master Graham's confrontation with the cavalier: He promptly turned the point aside (1907).
Other Illustrated Editions of Master Humphrey's Clock
- Harry Furniss's Six Charles Dickens Library Edition Illustrations for Master Humphrey's Clock (1910)
- W. H. C. Groome's Illustrations for Master Humphrey's Clock (1907)
- Fred Barnard's Four Household Edition Illustrations for Master Humphrey's Clock (Vol. XX, 1879)
Scanned images and text by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned them and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Bibliography
Cohen, Jane Rabb. "George Cattermole." Charles Dickens and His Original Illustrators. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio U. P., 1980. Pp. 125-134.
Davis, Paul. "Master Humphrey's Clock." Charles Dickens A to Z: The Essential Reference to his Life and Work. New York: Facts On File, 1998. P. 238.
Dickens, Charles. Master Humphrey's Clock. Illustrated by George Cattermole and Hablot Knight Browne ('Phiz'). London: Chapman and Hall, 4 April 1840 — 4 December 1841.
_______. Master Humphrey's Clock. The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Reprinted Pieces, and Other Stories. With thirty illustrations by L. Fildes, E. G. Dalziel, and F. Barnard. The Household Edition. London: Chapman and Hall, 1872. Vol. XX. Pp. 253-306.
_______. Master Humphrey's Clock and Pictures from Italy. With eight illustrations by W. H. C. Groome. Collins Pocket Editions. London and Glasgow: Collins Clear-type Press, 1907. Vol. XLIX. Pp. 1-168.
_______. Barnaby Rudge and Master Humphrey's Clock. Illustrated by Harry Furniss. Charles Dickens Library Edition. Volume VI. London: Educational Book, 1910.
Hammerton, J. A. The Dickens Picture Book: A Record of the Dickens Illustrators. Ch. XIV. "Master Humphrey's Clock." The Charles Dickens Library. London: Educational Book Co., 1910. Pp. 259-265.
Patten, Robert L. "Cattermole, George." In Schlicke, Paul, ed. The Oxford Reader's Companion to Dickens. Oxford: Oxford U. P., 1999. Pp. 68-69.
Vann, J. Don. "The Old Curiosity Shop in Master Humphrey's Clock, 25 April 1840 — 6 February 1841." Victorian Novels in Serial. New York: Modern Language Association, 1985. Pp. 64-65.
Created 29 August 2022