Harry Furniss's eighteen-volume edition of The Charles Dickens Library (London: Educational Book Company, 1910) contains some 500 special plates (part of the total of 1200 illustrations) and two volumes of commentary. Volume 17, by J. A. Hammerton, is entitled The Dickens Picture Book: A Record of the Dickens Illustrators. The sixth volume, entitled Barnaby Rudge and Master Humphrey's Clock, represents Dickens's fourth novel, run serially in his own weekly periodical Master Humphrey's Clock (11 December 1841 through 27 November 1841) plus specific illustrations for the periodical material in Clock. Furniss prefaced his short program for the uncollected pieces separately as Master Humphrey's Clock in Volume 6 of the Charles Dickens Library Edition (1910).
Perhaps at the suggestion of his editor, J. A. Hammerton, Furniss illustrated just four uncollected pieces from Master Humphrey's Clock, the weekly periodical in which, in addition to various short stories and sketches, Dickens ran the novels The Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge. The final instalment of the Clock appeared on 4 December 1841, which terminated with Master Humphrey's empty chair. The Charles Dickens Edition of 1867 was the first time that Chapman and Hall had collected these sketches and stories. Each monthly volume in that edition contains eight illustrations. The original serial had seven illustrations by the illustrator with antiquarian tastes and a penchant for caricature, George Cattermole, and twelve by the artist who would work with Dickens for twenty-three years, Hablot Knight Browne, or Phiz. These wood-engravings, which were dropped into the weekly text, for the most part describe the narrator's wood-panelled chamber and his ancient furniture, including, of course, his clock-case, as well as the "editor" himself and his numerous guest story-tellers, including the celebrated Mr. Pickwick.
Six Illustrations for Master Humphrey's Clock (1910)
- From His Clock Side in the Chimney Corner (Frontispiece, "The Clock-Case")
- The Characters in the Story Engraved Title-page
- The Penitent's Return (Ch. II, "The Clock Case: First Night of the Giant Chronicles" — facing 21)
- The Murderer Has His Victim in his Net (Ch. V, "A Confession Found in a Prison in the Time of Charles the Second" — facing 39)
- Mr. Pickwick Examining the Clock (facing 50)
- The Blighted Hairdresser (facing 90)
The Chapters in "Master Humphrey's Clock" in Volume VI of the 1910 Edition
- I. "Master Humphrey, from his Clock-side in the Chimney-corner." Pp. 1-28.
- II. "The Clock-case": "Introduction to the Giant Chronicles" (pp. 8-14) and "First Night of the Giant Chronicles" (pp. 14-28)
- III. "Master Humphrey, from his Clock-side in the Chimney-corner." Pp. 28-45.
- IV. "Master Humphrey's Visitor." Pp. 45-74.
- V. "The Clock." Pp. 75-83.
- VI. "Mr. Weller's Watch." Pp. 83-92.
- VII. "Master Humphrey, from his Clock-side in the Chimney-corner." Pp. 92-122.
Other Illustrated Editions of Master Humphrey's Clock
- George Cattermole's Original Serial Illustrations for Master Humphrey's Clock (April 1840)
- W. H. C. Groome's Illustrations for Master Humphrey's Clock (1907)
- Fred Barnard's Four Illustrations for Master Humphrey's Clock (1879) in the Household Edition (Vol. XX)
Related Materials
- Dickens's The Old Curiosity Shop (homepage)
- The Old Curiosity Shop Illustrated: A Team Effort by "The Clock Works"
- Illustrated Editions of The Old Curiosity Shop
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Bibliography
Bentley, Nicolas, Michael Slater, and Nina Burgis. The Dickens Index. New York and Oxford: Oxford U. P., 1990.
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, 238.
Dickens, Charles. Master Humphrey's Clock. Illustrated by George Cattermole and Hablot Knight Browne ('Phiz'). London: Chapman and Hall, 1840-41.
_______. 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. Collins Pocket Editions. Illustrated by W. H. Groome. London and Glasgow: Collins Clear-type Press, 1907. Pp. 1-168.
_______. Barnaby Rudge and Master Humphrey's Clock. Illustrated by Harry Furniss. Charles Dickens Library Edition. 18 vols. London: Educational Book, 1910. Volume VI.
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.
Steig, Michael. Chapter 3, "From Caricature to Progress: Master Humphrey's Clock and Martin Chuzzlewit." Dickens and Phiz. Bloomington & London: Indiana U. P., 1978. 51-85.
Stevens, Joan. "'Woodcuts Dropped into the Text': The Illustrations in The Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge." Studies in Bibliography. 20 (1967): 113-34.
Vann, J. Don. "The Old Curiosity Shop in Master Humphrey's Clock, 25 April 1840-6 February 1841." Victorian Novels in Serial. New York: MLA, 1985. 64-65.
Created 4 September 2022