A Gallant Cavalier by George Cattermole. 3 ⅜ x 4 ¼ inches (8.8 cm by 10.8 cm). Vignetted, wood-engraved. Master Humphrey's Clock, No. 1 (4 April 1840), seventh plate in the series. Part 2 of "First Night of the Giant Chronicles," p. 17. [Click on the images to enlarge them. Mouse over links]
Passage Illustrated: Hugh watches the handsome rake caracoling down the street
The old Bowyer was in the habit of lending money on interest to the gallants of the Court, and thus it happened that many a richly-dressed gentleman dismounted at his door. More waving plumes and gallant steeds, indeed, were seen at the Bowyer’s house, and more embroidered silks and velvets sparkled in his dark shop and darker private closet, than at any merchants in the city. In those times no less than in the present it would seem that the richest-looking cavaliers often wanted money the most.
Of these glittering clients there was one who always came alone. He was nobly mounted, and, having no attendant, gave his horse in charge to Hugh while he and the Bowyer were closeted within. Once as he sprung into the saddle Mistress Alice was seated at an upper window, and before she could withdraw he had doffed his jewelled cap and kissed his hand. Hugh watched him caracoling down the street, and burnt with indignation. But how much deeper was the glow that reddened in his cheeks when, raising his eyes to the casement, he saw that Alice watched the stranger too! ["First Night of the Giant Chronicles," 17]
Commentary: The Dejected Apprentice, the Smitten Daughter, and the Gay Cavalier
Cattermole's elegant illustration of the street and the Bowyer's place of business and residence is highly effective in introducing the romantic triangle that leads to the death of the devoted apprentice, the undiscerning Mistress Alice, and the dashing but insensitive young horseman doomed to die on his own blade. The well-dressed figure on the prancing horse doffs his cap to salute the girl at the casement window which we have already seen in the introductory wood-engraving, Death of Master Graham. The artist emphasizes the sharply realized foreground by sketching in the secondary housefront behind the nobleman on horseback, and contrasts that high-born youth's confident gesture with the downcast visage of the apprentice at the shop's display space, underneath the sign of the bow. The arrow sticking in the target immediately beside young Master Graham suggests that he is hopelessly smitten with Mistress Alice, so far above him.
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's full-page illustration of Master Graham's duel with the haughty nobleman: 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