Industry at the West End. William S. Brunton (fl. 1859-71) Signed lower with his monogram — hearts pierces by an arrow — and engraved by DalzielFun (27 May 1865): 20. Courtesy of the Suzy Covey Comic Book Collection in the George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida. Click on image to enlarge it.
The West End Industrial Exhibition
“It just possible that there are some who haven’t yet seen the interior of this very curious and very excellent exhibition, although the admirable advertisement, kindly given by tho Ban of England authorities to the curiosities therein exhibited, crams the building with visitors, who are all anxious to see the very curious specimens of imitative penman-ship which the obstinate stupidity of the Bank directors has caused to be mutilated. An ingenious man—a clerk, we believe—has copied with astounding accuracy the externals of various magazines and periodicals, together with bank cheques and a Bank of England note. This is done, not upon cheque paper, or on hank paper, but on stiff cardboard, and yet Mn. Freshfield, the Bank Solicitor, has insisted on the destruction of the bunk note, and consequently of the ruination of the whole work, lest any one be deceived by the clerkly imitation. Everybody known that there in no difficulty whatever in engraving a facsimile of the letter-press of a bank-note; the real difficulty lies in the difficulty of imitating the peculiar paper on which it is printed. When the imitation is printed or drawn on stiff cardtoard, tho Bank ought to consider itself tolerably safe against imposition. If it isn’t, it must be shaky indeed!”
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Last modified 22 February 2016