In many ways the illustrative work of America is more interesting than that of any other country. The rapidity of its growth, the encouragement that has been given it by publishers, and the surprisingly important artistic results obtained have won it recognition all over the world.

Twenty-five years ago, at the time that the best work was really being done in England, scarcely anything was being produced in America. It is true that some of the magazines had been started, and that some of the men, who are best known as illustrators to-day, were at work. But it was not until 1876, the year of the Centennial, the first international exhibition held in America, that American artists, engravers, printers, and publishers were enabled to form an idea of what was being done in Europe. At the same time a brilliant band of young men, who had been studying abroad, returned to New York, and it is mainly owing to their return, and the encouragement which intelligent and far-seeing publishers gave to them, and also to the artists and engravers who were already in America anxious to work, that what is now known as the American school of wood-engraving, together with American illustration and printing, was developed.

The way in which this school has been built up is so interesting that it may be well to refer to it somewhat in detail. From the time that Mr. A. W. Drake, and, later, Mr. W. Lewis Fraser were appointed art editors of the "Century," then "Scribner's," they made it their business, as art editors, to assist and aid and encourage young artists. And earlier, too, Mr. Charles Parsons who managed the art department of Harper Brothers, gave such kind, sensible, and practical advice to many young artists that not only will his name never be forgotten as one who helped greatly to develop American art, but many an American illustrator now looks back to Mr. Parsons as the man who really started him on his career.

Mr. Drake's plan was this. If an artist brought a drawing to him in which there were any signs of individuality, intelligence, or striving after untried effects, his endeavour was to use that drawing, at any rate as an experiment, and to encourage the artist to go on and make others; not to say to the artist, "the public won't stand this, and our clientÈle won't know what you mean." But then Mr. Drake was a trained artist and engraver.[22] Nor did Mr. Drake and Mr. Fraser put down their opinions as those of the public. They did not pretend to be infallible, nor did the literary editors; with the consequence, that the American magazines have gained for themselves the largest circulation among respectable publications. In engraving, too, the engraver was asked to reproduce a drawing, not in the conventional manner, but as faithfully as he could, not only rendering the subject of the drawing, but suggesting its quality, the look of the medium in which it was produced. From this sprang the so-called American school of facsimile wood-engraving, which, until the advent of process, was the favourite cockshy of the literary critic who essayed to write upon the subject of art. Now, however, that he believes American engraving is about to disappear in process—though of course there is not the slightest danger of anything of the sort happening—he is uttering premature wails over its disappearance, which is really not coming to pass at all.

In printing, too, experiments were made from the very beginning with inks and paper and press-work. And though stiff glazed paper has been the outcome of these experiments, it is used simply because upon no other sort of paper can such good results be obtained. If some of the people who raise such a wail about this paper would only produce something better, I am sure they would be well rewarded for their pains, because all the great magazines would at once adopt it.

Another reason for the success and advancement of American illustrators is because the publishers of the great magazines, like "The Century," "Harper's," "Scribner's," have had the sense to see that if you want to get good work out of a man you have to pay him for it and encourage him to do it, then reproduce, and print it in a proper fashion. Naturally, the artists have taken a personal pride in the success of the magazines with which they have been connected; in certain cases, greater probably than the proprietors themselves ever realized. They have worked with engravers; they have mastered the mysteries of process and of printing; various engravers and printers have also worked with the artist, and in many cases there has been a truer system of genuine craftsmanship than existed in the everlastingly belauded guilds of the Middle Ages.

Within the last few years a new spirit has, to a certain extent, entered into American publishing, and there have cropped up magazines which, apparently, have for their aim the furnishing to their readers of the greatest amount of the cheapest material at the lowest possible price. Syndicate stories and photographic clichÉs struggle with bad printing, and possibly appeal to the multitude. However, these cheap and nasty journals will probably struggle among themselves to their own discomfiture, without producing lasting effect, unless the conductors of the better class of magazines choose to lower the tone of their own publications.

The illustrated newspaper has become an enormous factor in America. The "Pall Mall" claims to have been the first illustrated daily, and the "Daily Graphic" is the only complete daily illustrated paper yet in existence in England. "Le Quotidien IllustrÉ" has just been started in Paris. The claim of the "Pall Mall" is without foundation, as the London "Daily Graphic" but follows in the footsteps of the New York "Daily Graphic," which took its name from the London weekly; its illustrations were almost altogether reproduced by lithography. The New York "Graphic" was never a great success. Many American daily newspapers print more drawings in a week than the London "Daily Graphic." The chances are that in a very few years the daily will have completely superseded many of the weeklies, and quite a number of the monthly magazines too. It is simply a question of improving the printing press, and this improvement will be made. Anyone who has watched the progress of illustrated journalism during the last ten years can have no doubts upon the subject; and I am almost certain that the very near future will see the advent of daily illustrated magazines of convenient size, which will take the place of the monthly reviews and the ponderous and cumbersome machine we now call a newspaper.

If, as is universally admitted, America has produced the best example of an illustrated magazine that the world has to show, it is not very difficult to find out the reason. Editors have secured the services of some of the best native artists, and are ready to use the work of foreigners. Also many of the best engravers work for these periodicals, and in machine printing Theodore de Vinne has set up a standard for the whole world. If these men have become master craftsmen, it is because they first studied their art profoundly, and then learned the practical requirements and technical conditions under which drawings can best be reproduced for the printed page, as well as the best methods of printing that page.

In his own way Mr. Abbey stands completely apart from all other artists. His beautiful drawing, conscientious attention to detail and costume, interesting composition and perfect grace give him rank as a master. His edition of Herrick has become a classic, while in his "Old Songs," and "Quiet Life," done in collaboration with Mr. Parsons, he has so successfully delineated the eighteenth century that he has made it a mine for less able men who have neither his power as draughtsman, nor his appreciation that illustration is as serious as any other branch of art, not to be entered upon lightly and without training. He has transformed "She Stoops to Conquer" from a play into a series of pictures; and his illustrations to Shakespeare will, without doubt, become historic; they are models of accurate learning and careful research, and yet, at the same time, the most perfect expression of beauty and refinement. The decorative or decadent craze has also reached America, and its most amusing representative, so far, is W. H. Bradley; but G. W. Edwards, L. S. Ispen, and others, decorated books long before mysticism became the rage.

Mr. Reinhart and Mr. Smedley have treated the more modern side of life with an intelligence which is almost equal to Abbey's. Mr. Reinhart's most remarkable work is to be found in "Spanish Vistas" by Mr. George Parsons Lathrop, and in his sketches in "American Watering Places." Mr. Smedley's drawings may be seen any month in "Harper's Magazine."

Mr. Howard Pyle has brought all the resources of the past to aid him in the present, and is probably the most intelligent and able student of the fifteenth century living to-day. Yet Mr. Pyle is, when illustrating a modern subject, as entirely modern. He has treated with equal success the England of Robin Hood, the Germany of the fifteenth century, colonial days in America, children's stories, and the ordinary everyday events which an illustrator is called upon to record. He is deservedly almost as well known as a writer. His principal books are "Otto of the Silver Hand," the "Story of Robin Hood," and "Pepper and Salt."

Mr. C. D. Gibson exhibits the follies and graces of society; it was he who contributed so brilliantly to the success of "Life," the American "Punch." Messrs. Frost, Kemble, Redwood, Remington, show the life of the West and the South; while, as a comic draughtsman, Frost stands at the head of Americans. These men's work will one day be regarded as historical documents. Mr. Remington has given the rapidly vanishing Indian and cowboy, especially in the "Hunting Trips of a Ranchman." Mr. Frost's drawings of the farmer in the Middle States will later be as valuable records as Menzel's "Uniforms of Frederick the Great." Mr. Kemble is not alone in his delineation of darkey life and character. In fact, he has rather worked in a field which was marked out for him by W. L. Shepherd and Gilbert Gaul. W. Hamilton Gibson has treated many beautiful and pleasing aspects of nature, both as writer and illustrator. Blum, Brennan and Lungren transported the Fortuny, Rico, Vierge movement to America, but have now worked out schemes for themselves. Blum has produced more complete work than the others, however, and his illustrations to Sir Edwin Arnold's "Japonica," and his own articles on Japan, have given him a deservedly prominent position. Elihu Vedder, most notably in his edition of Omar Khayyam, Kenyon Cox, and Will Low, who have illustrated Keats and Rossetti, are responsible for much of the decoration and decorative design in the country, and there are many other extremely clever, brilliant and most artistic men whose work can be found almost every month in the magazines. Mr. Childe Hassam has brought Parisian methods to bear upon the illustration of New York life; and Mr. Reginald Birch's studies of childhood, though frequently German in handling, are altogether delightful in results, his drawings having no doubt added much to the popularity of "Little Lord Fauntleroy;" in the same sort of work P. Newell and Oliver Herford are distinguished. Mrs. Mary Halleck Foote is one of the few who continue to draw upon the wood, and very beautifully she does this; while Mrs. Alice Barber Stephens, and Miss Katharine Pyle prove that there is no earthly reason why women should not be illustrators. Mr. Otto Bacher, Mr. W. H. Drake and Mr. Charles Graham turn the most uninteresting photograph, if they are not doing original work, into a pleasing design; while that phenomenally clever Frenchman, A. Castaigne, who, I believe, now considers himself to be naturalized, gets more movement and dramatic feeling into his drawing than almost anyone else, though he is closely approached in some ways by T. de Thulstrup.

In some ways Mr. Harry Fenn, Mr. J. D. Woodward, and Mr. Thomas Moran were among the pioneers of American landscape illustration. Mr. Hopkinson Smith, whose work also is frequently seen in the magazines, says that "Harry Fenn's illustrations in 'Picturesque America' entitle him to be called the Nestor of his guild, not only for the delicacy, truth, and refinement of his drawings, but also because of the enormous success attending its publication—the first illustrated publication on so large a scale ever attempted—paving the way for the illustrated magazine and paper of to-day." In this venture of Appleton's, Mr. Woodward and Mr. Moran had a large share. Among some of the younger men should be noted Mr. Irving Wiles, whose work is as direct and brilliant as, and much more true than, Rossi's; Mr. Metcalf, whose illustrations to Mr. Stevenson's "Wrecker" are most notable; Mr. A. C. Redwood who, with Mr. Rufus Zogbaum, has made the American soldier his special study. F. S. Church is many-sided both in the mediums he employs and the subjects he selects. J. A. Mitchell has produced in "Life" a society comic paper which is much more human than "Punch." "Puck" and "Judge" are the leading illustrated political weeklies; their conductors are D. Kepler and B. Gillom.

The list of engravers is quite as important. Almost all of those who belong to the American Society of Engravers on Wood are original artists and very well deserving of mention, though their work itself has given them a position which I cannot better. The best known is Timothy Cole, whose engravings from the Old Masters have won him world-wide recognition. He is followed by W. B. Closson, who has to some extent attempted the same sort of work. Messrs. Frank French, Kingsley, and the late Frederick JÜngling have, with surprising success, engraved directly from nature; while for portraits, G. Kruell and T. Johnson are deservedly well known. In fine reproductive work Henry Wolf, H. Davidson, Gamm, Miss C. A. Powell, J. Tinkey, F. S. King, J. P. Davis have shown that wood-engraving is an art which can be used in the hands of a clever man or woman in a hundred ways undreamt of twenty years ago. This list makes no pretension of being complete, for new magazines, new men and new methods are springing up all over the country every few weeks, and a mere list of the illustrators and engravers would make a catalogue as large as this volume.

There was a period of great activity in American etching a few years ago. Among the most notable results were Cassell's Portfolios of the work of American etchers, edited by Mr. S. R. Koehler. But the art seems now to be languishing. Mr. Frank Duveneck, Mr. Otto Bacher, Mr. Stephen Parrish, Mr. Charles Platt, Mrs. Mary Nimmo Moran did some of the best original work, while, as reproductive men, Peter and Thomas Moran, Stephen Ferris, and J. D. Smillie were most notable. However, this brief spontaneous movement toward individual expression unfortunately seems rather to have spent itself; and America, like so many other countries, is waiting for something new to turn up.