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Bob Sawyer elevated. Mr. Bob Sawyer was seated, not in the dickey, but on the roof of the chaise, with his legs as far asunder as they would conveniently go, wearing Mr. Samuel Weller's hat on one side of his head.
Harry Furniss
1910
15.4 cm x 9.9 cm (5 ⅞ by 3 ¾ inches), vignetted
Dickens's Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, The Charles Dickens Library Edition, facing II, 712.
[Click on all the images to enlarge them.]
Scanned images and text by Philip V. Allingham.
Mr. Bob Sawyer was seated, not in the dickey, but on the roof of the chaise, with his legs as far asunder as they would conveniently go, wearing Mr. Samuel Weller's hat on one side of his head, and bearing, in one hand, a most enormous sandwich, while, in the other, he supported a goodly-sized case-bottle, to both of which he applied himself with intense relish, varying the monotony of the occupation by an occasional howl, or the interchange of some lively badinage with any passing stranger. The crimson flag was carefully tied in an erect position to the rail of the dickey; and Mr. Samuel Weller, decorated with Bob Sawyer's hat, was seated in the centre thereof, discussing a twin sandwich, with an animated countenance, the expression of which betokened his entire and perfect approval of the whole arrangement. [Chapter L, “How Mr. Pickwick sped upon his Mission, and how he was reinforced in the outset by a most unexpected Auxiliary,” pp. 714-715]
Furniss has translated Phiz's October 1837 steel-engraving Bob Sawyer's mode of travelling by placing greater emphasis on the racing horses and the background, and by reducing the scale of the figures. Furniss also lets the reader see that Sam is vastly amused by Bob's antics, even though Pickwick seems irate. From the outset, Pickwick had not wanted the irreverent Bob along on the diplomatic mission to Birmingham, to persuade Winkle, Senior, a wealthy industrialist, that he should accept his son's marriage to Arabella Allen. Bob's whimsical rationale is that he will be better off without his patients at the Bristol dispensary since none of them ever pay their medical bills. Pickwick argues that the chaise will only hold two, and the second space is reserved for Arabella's brother. Bob counters by stating that he has arranged with Sam to share the dickey, but in the Charles Dickens Library Edition Furniss makes clear by the placement of the lithograph that Bob intends to occupy a more exhilarating position. Ironically, initially Pickwick is not aware of Bob's rooftop antics, even though everybody they pass on the high road stares at the equipage. However, the moment realised by both Phiz and Furniss shows Bob in fine fettle, and Pickwick, removing his hat, leans out of the coach window, to chastise the facetious traveller. Bob has yet to see reason: he is eating an enormous sandwich, swilling the contents of a case-bottle, and howling at passing strangers.
Left: Phiz's original engraving for the penultimate instalment of the serial novel, Bob Sawyer's mode of travelling (October 1837). Centre: Phiz's Household Edition woodcut reworks his original 1837 steel engraving as Mr. Bob Sawyer was seated: not in the dickey, but on the roof of the chaise (1874). Right: Sol Eytinge, Jr.'s dual portrait of the bibulous physician and his life-long friend, Ben Allen, Mr. Bob Sawyer and Mr. Ben Allen for Chapter XXXVIII (1867).
Davis, Paul. Charles Dickens A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Checkmark and Facts On File, 1999.
Dickens, Charles. The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Illustrated by Robert Seymour, Robert Buss, and Phiz. London: Chapman and Hall, November 1837. With 32 additional illustrations by Thomas Onwhyn (London: E. Grattan, April-November 1837).
_____. Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Illustrated by Sol Eytinge, Jr. The Diamond Edition. 14 vols. Boston: Ticknor & Fields, 1867. Vol. 1.
_____. Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Illustrated by Thomas Nast. The Household Edition. 16 vols. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1873. Vol. 4.
_____. Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Illustrated by Hablot Knight Browne ('Phiz'). The Household Edition. 22 vols. London: Chapman and Hall, 1874. Vol. 6.
_____. Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Illustrated by Harry Furniss. The Charles Dickens Library Edition. 18 vols. London: Educational Book, 1910. Vol. 2.
Created 5 March 2024