Mr. Winkle Returns under extraordinary Circumstances
Phiz (Hablot K. Browne)
September 1837
Steel Engraving
10 cm high by 9 cm wide (3 ⅞ by 4 ½ inches), vignetted
Dickens's Pickwick Papers, Chapter LVII, facing 504. [Click on image to enlarge it.]
Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham.
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Details
Passage illustrated: Winkle seeks Reconciliation and Assistance
As Sam Weller spoke, he threw the door open, and there rushed tumultuously into the room, Mr. Nathaniel Winkle: leading after him by the hand, the identical young lady who at Dingley Dell had worn the boots with the fur round the tops, and who, now a very pleasing compound of blushes and confusion and lilac silk and a smart bonnet and a rich lace veil, looked prettier than ever.
"Miss Arabella Allen!" exclaimed Mr. Pickwick, rising from his chair.
"No," replied Mr. Winkle, dropping on his knees. "Mrs. Winkle. Pardon, my dear friend, pardon?"
Mr. Pickwick could scarcely believe the evidence of his senses, and perhaps would not have done so, but for the corroborative testimony afforded by the smiling countenance of Perker, and the bodily presence, in the background, of Sam and the pretty housemaid; who appeared to contemplate the proceedings with the liveliest satisfaction. [Chapter XLVII, “Is chiefly devoted to matters of business and the temporal advantage of Dodson and Fogg. Mr. Winkle re-appears under extraordinary circumstances. Mr. Pickwick's benevolence proves stronger than his obstinacy,” pp. 504-505]
Commentary: Winkle asks his Chief to Mediate
The romantic Mr. Winkle astonishes Mr. Pickwick, but recently released from the Fleet Prison, with the announcement that he has married Miss Arabella Allen, sister of the London medical student and Bristol pharmacist, Bob Allen. The newlyweds want Pickwick to reconcile Benjamin Allen and Winkle's father. Phiz disposes the six figures across the space effectively, giving each a different physical pose suggestive of the differing attitudes of the various characters involved in the reconciliation of Winkle and Pickwick. The illustrator repeats the figure of the white-bedecked bride in that of the housemaid (right), whom Sam Weller holds by the waist to signify their engagement. The remaining figure (left) is Pickwick's attorney, Perker, who has just persuaded his client to release Mrs. Bardell from the Fleet. Phiz has depicted Perker in his characteristic pose, with his hands behind his back.
The development of this marriage theme confirms that the picaresque novel has now shifted into the genre of romantic comedy. Johnannsen (1956) uses nine details to identify this as Plate A:
- a) the top shelf against the wall at the right is empty, and the shelf below has books lying flat at the right and left.
- b) The top shelf of the cupboard has a bowl and several bottles, and the shelf below has several plates standing upright, a pitcher, and a number of glasses.
- c) The back of Mr. Perker's chair is dark [whereas it is light in B].
- d) The back of Mr. Pickwick's chair is diced.
- e) Winkle's hat is shaded only on the lower side.
- f) Arabella's right glove shows stitching on the back.
- g) Mary's hat is shaded on both sides.
- h) Sam's vest shows no buttons.
- i) The middle windowpane in the second row shows no break. [63]
Bibliography
Cohen, Jane Rabb. Charles Dickens and His Original Illustrators. Columbus: Ohio State U. P., 1980.
Davis, Paul. Charles Dickens A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Facts On File and Checkmark Books, 1998.
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).
Guiliano, Edward, and Philip Collins, eds. The Annotated Dickens. Vol. 1. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1986.
Hammerton, J. A. The Dickens Picture-Book. London: Educational Book Co., 1910.
Johannsen, Albert. "Part XVII. Plate 36. Page 504. Mr. Winkle Returns under Extraordinary Circumstances." Illustrations from the Novels of Charles Dickens.. Chicago: University of Chicago Press,1956. Pp. 63-64.
Steig, Michael. Dickens and Phiz. Bloomington & London: Indiana U. P., 1978.
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Created 6 January 2012
Last updated 20 February 2024