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Hablot Knight Browne

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Hablot Knight Browne(10 July 1815 – 8 July 1882) was a British artist and illustrator. Well known by his pen name,Phiz,he illustrated books byCharles Dickens,Charles Lever,Augustus Septimus MayhewandHarrison Ainsworth.

Hablot Knight Browne
Browne photographed bySaronyc.1870s
Born(1815-07-10)10 July 1815
Lambeth,South London,England
Died8 July 1882(1882-07-08)(aged 66)
Other namesPhiz
Occupations
  • Artist
  • illustrator

Early life

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OfHuguenotancestry, Hablot Knight Browne was born in England, inLambeth(near London) on Kennington Lane. He was the fourteenth of Catherine and William Loder Browne's fifteen children. According to his biographer Valerie Browne Lester, Phiz was in fact the illegitimate son of his putative eldest sister Kate and Captain Nicholas Hablot ofNapoleon'sImperial Guard.There is some uncertainty regarding the exact date of birth. 10 July 1815 is the date given by Valerie Browne Lester, his great-great-granddaughter. John Buchanan-Brown in his bookPhiz!: Illustrator of Dickens' Worldsays 12 July 1815. The date on his Christening record of 21 December 1815 at St Mary's Church, Lambeth, Surrey, England gives 11 June 1815, as does theEncyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Editionand 15 June 1815 (Dictionary of National Biography). A copy of the programme from his burial service, which is still owned by the Browne family, says he was born 10 July 1815.

When he was 7 years old, his father William Browne abandoned the family, changed his name to Breton and sailed with embezzled funds toPhiladelphiawhere he became known for his watercolour paintings. William Browne was then declared dead by his wife Catherine.[1]

Thomas Moxon, husband of William's sister Ann Loder Browne, helped to support the family, who were left badly off.

Browne was apprenticed toWilliam Finden,anengraver,in whose studio he obtained his only artistic education. However, he was unsuited for engraving, and having during 1833 secured an important prize from the Society of Arts for a drawing ofJohn Gilpin,he abandoned engraving in the following year and began other artistic work, with the ultimate object of becoming a painter.[2]

Career

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In early 1836, he met Charles Dickens. It was at the time when Dickens was looking for someone to illustratePickwick.Browne became the illustrator of his little pamphletSunday under Three Heads.In the original edition ofPickwick,issued inshillingmonthly parts from early in 1836 until the end of 1837, the first seven plates were drawn byRobert Seymour,who committed suicide in April 1836. The next two plates were byRobert William Buss.[3]

1849etchingforDavid Copperfield,titled "I make myself known to my aunt"

Browne andWilliam Makepeace Thackerayvisited the publishers' office with specimens of their work for Dickens's inspection. The novelist preferred Browne. Browne's first twoetchedplates for Pickwick were signed "Nemo", but the third was signed "Phiz", a pseudonym which was retained in future. When asked to explain why he chose this name he answered that the change from "Nemo" to "Phiz" was made to harmonize better with Dickens's "Boz".[4]

Phiz developed the characterSam Wellergraphically just as Seymour had developed Pickwick. Dickens and Phiz became good friends and in 1838 travelled together toYorkshireto see the schools of whichNicholas Nicklebybecame the hero. They later made several other journeys together to facilitate the illustrator's work. Other Dickens characters illustrated by Phiz were Squeers, Micawber, Guppy, Major Bagstock, Mrs Gamp, Tom Pinch and David Copperfield.[4]

Of the ten books by Dickens which Phiz illustrated, he is most known forDavid Copperfield,Pickwick,Dombey and Son,Martin ChuzzlewitandBleak House.Browne made several drawings forPunchin his early days and also towards the end of his life. He designed the wrapper which was used for eighteen months from January 1842. He also contributed toPunch's Pocket Books.[4]

1850 etching forDavid Copperfield,titled "I am married"

In addition to his work for Dickens, Phiz illustrated more than twenty ofCharles Lever's novels (among themThe Confessions of Harry Lorrequer,Charles O'Malley, the Irish Dragoon,Jack Hinton, the GuardsmanandThe Knight of Gwynne). He also illustratedHarrison Ainsworth's andFrank Smedley's novels.Mervyn Clitheroeby Ainsworth is one of the most accomplished of the artist's works.[4]

Most of Browne's work was etched on steel plates because these yielded a far larger edition than copper. Browne was annoyed at some of his etchings being transferred to stone by the publishers and printed aslithographicreproductions. Partly with the view to prevent this treatment of his work, he employed a machine to rule a series of lines over the plate in order to obtain what appeared to be a tint; when manipulated with acid this tint gave an effect somewhat resemblingmezzotint,which at that time it was found practically impossible to transfer to stone.[4]

Death

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Browne was in continual employment by publishers until 1867, when he suffered an illness that caused a degree of paralysis. After recovering, he produced many woodcuts. In 1878 he was awarded an annuity by theRoyal Academy.His health gradually worsened until he died on 8 July 1882.[4]

Legacy

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Four of his illustrations were issued as stamps by theRoyal Mailin 2012 to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth ofCharles Dickens.[5]

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  • Portrait engraving
  • Blue plaque, Ladbroke Grove, London
  • Scene fromAuriolby Harrison Ainsworth, 1844
  • Frontispiece toPelhambyEdward Bulwer-Lytton,1849
  • The Great 100 Rat Match, c.1858

References

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  1. ^Valerie Browne Lester (28 November 2006)."Phiz, Dickens and London".Gresham College.Retrieved18 July2012.
  2. ^Thomson 1911,p. 663.
  3. ^Thomson 1911,pp. 663–664.
  4. ^abcdefThomson 1911,p. 664.
  5. ^"Charles Dickens".Royal Mail. Archived fromthe originalon 2 December 2013.Retrieved18 July2012.

Further reading

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