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Mary and the Fat Boy: The fat boy, with elephantine playfulness, stretched out his arms to ravish a kiss, p. 777.
Harry Furniss
1910
13.7 cm x 9 cm (5 ⅜ by 3 ⅜ inches), vignetted
Dickens's Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, The Charles Dickens Library Edition, facing II, 769.
[Click on the images to enlarge them.]
Scanned images and text by Philip V. Allingham.
‘You see,’ said Mary, ‘Mr. Snodgrass is very fond of Miss Emily, and Miss Emily’s very fond of him, and if you were to tell about it, the old gentleman would carry you all away miles into the country, where you’d see nobody.’
‘No, no, I won’t tell,’ said the fat boy stoutly.
‘That’s a dear,’ said Mary. ‘Now it’s time I went upstairs, and got my lady ready for dinner.’
‘Don’t go yet,’ urged the fat boy.
‘I must,’ replied Mary. ‘Good-bye, for the present.’
The fat boy, with elephantine playfulness, stretched out his arms to ravish a kiss; but as it required no great agility to elude him, his fair enslaver had vanished before he closed them again; upon which the apathetic youth ate a pound or so of steak with a sentimental countenance, and fell fast asleep. [Chapter LIV, “Containing the Particulars relative to the Double Knock, and other Matters; among which certain Interesting Disclosures relative to Mr. Snodgrass and a Young Lady are by no means irrelevant to this History,” pp. 777-778]
Furniss interprets "elephantine playfulness" as if Dickens is indicating the appetite of a child. Certainly his version of Joe the Fat Boy suggests an oversized infant rather than an adolescent, and the shapely maid is in no obvious danger of being cauight by the amorous youth's outstretched arms and being "ravished." Although Furniss as always offers few background details as he focuses on the emotional states of his subjects, he has embedded a painting of the London skyline with St. Paul's and several City churches above the sideboard as a nod to the actual setting, Osborne's Adelphi Hotel in the Strand.
Left: Phiz's original engraving for the conclusion of the serial novel, Mary and The Fat Boy (November 1837). Centre: Phiz's Household Edition woodcut reworks his original 1837 steel engraving as "I say, how nice you look!" (1874). Right: Sol Eytinge, Jr.'s Diamond Edition Vol. 1 illustration Right: Sol Eytinge, Jr.'s Diamond Edition Vol. 1 illustration The Fat Boy (1867) makes Joe a grossly overweight child.
Left: Phiz's original engraving for the conclusion of the serial novel, The Fat Boy Awake Again (substituted in November 1837 for Chapter VIII). Centre: Thomas Nast's American Household Edition woodcut reworks Phiz's 1837 steel engraving as "Will you have some of this?" said the Fat Boy (1873). Right: Thomas Onwhyn's extra illustration to complement the last serial instalment, “Wretched creature, what do you want here?” said the gentleman, who it is needless to say was Mr. Snodgrass. . . . (30 November 1837)
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 4 March 2024