The Fisherman's Home (Frontispiece) and title-page and vignette by "Phiz" for the Chapman and Hall twelve-month serialisation of Charles Lever's Barrington; Tales of the Trains (February 1862 to January 1863).
Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham [You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Commentary
Clearly, the equestrian on the title-page is not Dinah, Peter Barrington's younger sister (depicted on the frontispiece), but the daring horsewoman Polly Dill, whose actions in The Wager and at "Barrington's Ford" (Chapter XIV) result in her unwillingly being rescued by Fred Conyers. The title-page vignette, then, refers to a much later chapter than the frontispiece, and was one of the last engravings Phiz executed for Charles Lever.
Since there are twenty-five engravings but only twelve monthly instalments, whereas Chapman and Hall undoubtedly did not issue the engraved title until the ultimate (January 1863) monthly number, The Fisherman's Home clearly belongs with the first instalment (February 1862) as it anticipates a scene in the opening chapter, whereas the vignette is reflecting on the more adventurous aspects of the narrative.
Related Material
Bibliography
Lester, Valerie Browne. Phiz: The Man Who Drew Dickens. London: Chatto and Windus, 2004.
Lever, Charles. Barrington; Tales of the Trains. Illustrated by 'Phiz'. London: Chapman and Hall, 1863.
Created 9 November 2007
Last modified 8 February 2020