New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-26
"a DREAM OF FAIR WOMEN" BY ALFRED TENSYso.
Illustrated. J. r. OsgoOd 4 co.

"a DREAM OF FAIR WQMEN." By. ALFRED TENSTsoN.
Illustrated J. r. Osgood Il Co.
Ii is with the public ana not with the
ub lshers we told must quarrel, ii We do not
Ike the OF ndwiching the ues of our favoTite
poets between pictures. And there would be little use
III finding fault WITH that great parsonage, the public"
seeing that the beginning of time, 40 10 speak, he
Nas always shown fancy for having his books illus
ratod" what the Ole Missals and Books ofHOurs
but illustrated books. and who would be hafd-hearted
enough to wish them away They pleased even the
woridwOT Dante, who somewhat Crimlv smiled 10
nee; Oierg the iiumnator in PurgatOry, and less
person than Michael Angelo illustrated sad his own
copy of Dante marginal plc,ures-a book which is
one OF the treasures keeps IN ts BOSOM Then
Albert DGrer Illustrated tue borders IF Emperor Max's
pIayer-book with the most amusngiy incongruous sub
iscts, and HOibein Illustrated the Old Testament and
for illustrations Of toe Die by other hands their
is legion. aud, not only the Bible, but books OF ali
SORTS grave and CAV, lively and severe, religious and
irreelous made, people thought and rather
sneakngly think so too. more Interesting and
companIonable by the artists help But then not all
Illustrations good and for one good one there are
ten. or possibly twenty, bad or indifferent Tire
most illustrators make the mistake OF taking books or
poems work upon that not suitable for their pur
pose, aud the Dream Of Far Women" is such an one
Handsome paper. handsome print; but the pictures,
QUE aud ALL inadequate They 10 Ser the poem far as
that ~ possible tine OF such masterpiece, and
Dy insisting giving form TO our necessarily vague
copcooton OF the poets -rs deprive of
viii and shut us up accept clsos inerprela
don, which as at Least not the merit OF vagueness
We must certainly dcmur at the proposition to take
any If pictures OF the poets Far Women salts
factory substitutes for own dreams of them. The
chief trouble with these pictured Is that they
nave nothing characteristic about them. Mrs Hal0ck
Foote's Far Rosamondep IA Just a study from the
model and might be body. Maiss illustration TO the
same poem, the Queen Eleanor" may be compared
with Mrs F0oe's-and Will, should think be found
much more fcrcIbe ami Interesting. Mr. C s. Rein
harts Joan OF Are" is simply amusing the Maid looks
surprised she ought at the halo which is being
sled her through the trees, Ike sraye1 hoop in the
ol fashioned game OF Graces" Mr. W. l.. sheppards
Margaret NOR" with her dead fathers head IN
c'o IT, Of course inadequate and utterly so, but who
could have dealt successfully with such subject 7
Helen o. Troy" IL would SEEM might have left
uninterrupted. no. these Illustrators, like French
alcsners fly at any thing they aGd a. II would ap
tnat NOBODY here felt adequate to the task the pub
shcrs have had engraved Of those eads which
late Miss Margaret Cameron used up with studio
draperies aud photograph IN her picturesque fashion
This one looks much Ike Helen OF Troy as
II does ike Martha Washington. AS for MT |
Val Lows 'Iyhigonia," 1t is too much for our |
soDroty, but We set 20 puzzing over all |
these people with heads big for the LANDSCAPE and
regardless Of perspective that distance has
axe ecu small by degrees beautifully less-that
We forget all about the queer figure OF Agamemnon's
daughter. Mr.. Dielnans JephthA's sughter" would
bearable II IT, IKE ali the others, not 40 pretty"
when think have a right 10 expect an at
tempt at least al dignity II not grandeur o. course
was 20 he looked for, the " Helen" and the "Clee-
palra the failures Mr.. Mais's Gle
uatra " In the Moxon Tennyson QS59l enough
Cleopatra looking in his hands like nBer's daughter.
PrsdeIicks yapid III ns first drawing, frivolous
In the second and In the third shows Cleopatra laid
bed wit her head looking II 1t had been cut on and
set on ike the heads of EgmOnt and Horn Gallats
picture. As for his Anthony 1t is by all odds tine worst
hing the book and ought TO have been rejected The
.ngrSvngs, done by different hands, have all been
,uted, informed under the direction Of A. v g.
Like everything that comes from that
school. tey neat and satisfactory though without
poetic feeling disagrcesble feature is that
whatever is given to the individual engravers, their
not published In the list OF ilus-
r atlons, and cannot he dcciphored on the cuts |
N IN any they appear 70 be signed |
some OF the landscape illustrations are pretty-Mr l.
A ppleton Browne SprlhgtiIne" and "Tbriadnc the
,ombre bOksge of the Wood: Mr.. y. HopkInsvp |
smiths wysutsh "Tae White Dawn's Creeping Beams"
md Mr.. I. W. Rix's 1.-THE Bslmy Moon OF Blessed
Israel"
In the Of the Illustration page 80, "Tbe Red |
Apem0ne" Mr. t. III. Garrett has made the mistake of
the common ancmOne OF American |
woods the brilliantly coored Species some Of
which grow Wild in Italy. TeDnySon. vino is one of
he closest observers OF the detail OF Natureo all The
english poets and who rarely makes mistake In an