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“The Friend of the Family”
Harry Furniss
1910
14 cm x 9.1 cm, or 5 ½ by 3 ⅝ inches, vignetted
Dickens's Our Mutual Friend, The Charles Dickens Library Edition, for Book 1, Chapter II, “The Man from Somewhere,” facing XV, 16.
Mrs. Veneering does not expect that Mr. Tremlow can in nature care much for such insipid things as babies, but so old a friend must please look at baby. — Book One, Our Mutual, p. 8.
[Click on the images to enlarge them.]
Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham.
This evening the Veneerings give a banquet. Eleven leaves in the Twemlow; fourteen in company all told. Four pigeon-breasted retainers in plain clothes stand in line in the hall. A fifth retainer, proceeding up the staircase with a mournful air — as who should say, ‘Here is another wretched creature come to dinner; such is life!’ — announces, ‘Mis-ter Twemlow!’
Mrs. Veneering welcomes her sweet Mr. Twemlow. Mr. Veneering welcomes his dear Twemlow. Mrs. Veneering does not expect that Mr. Twemlow can in nature care much for such insipid things as babies, but so old a friend must please to look at baby. ‘Ah! You will know the friend of your family better, Tootleums,’ says Mr. Veneering, nodding emotionally at that new article, ‘when you begin to take notice.’ He then begs to make his dear Twemlow known to his two friends, Mr. Boots and Mr. Brewer — and clearly has no distinct idea which is which.
But now a fearful circumstance occurs.
‘Mis-ter and Mis-sus Podsnap!’ [Book One, “The Cup and the Lip”; Ch. II, “The Man from Somewhere,” 8]
The illustrator realizes in considerable detail the setting of the second chapter, the fashionable drawing-room of the Veneerings, “bran-new people in a bran-new house in a bran-new quarter of London” (“The Man from Somewhere,” 6). Shortly, the young lawyer, Mortimer Lightwood, will narrate the story of “The Man from Somewhere,” John Harmon, who will inherit his vindictive father's estate if he marries the petulant society girl Bella Wilfer. Meantime, Melvin Twemlow, a relative of the lofty Lord Snigsworth and therefore a "poor but connected friend," fills out the number at the fashionable dinner party. Poor Twemlow, always invited for the sake of his origins and connections, is never at his ease at such functions.
Left: Marcus Stone's November 1864 depiction of an upper-middle-class society gathering, Cupid Prompted. Right: Sol Eytinge, Jr.'s 1867 Diamond Edition illustration of the society dinner: The Veneering Dinner in Book I, Chapter II, “The Man from Somewhere,” facing p. 12 [Click onimages to enlarge them.]
Above left: Marcus Stone's August 1864 illustration of the dinner dance at the Podsnaps' birthday celebration for their daughter at which the Veneerings are guests, Podsnappery. Above right: James Mahoney's Household Edition woodblock illustration of the signing of the rental agreement: “When it came to Bella's turn to sign her name, Mr. Rokesmith, who was standing, as he had sat, with a hesitating hand upon the table, looked at her stealthily but narrowly.” (1875). [Click on the images to enlarge them.]
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Created 29 July 2025