The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-08-03
OLD PICTURES
REPRODUCED
i, s.4sF,s---
Revive Many Artistic
"reminiscences.
ABBEY OF ENGLISH r. A.
He Was Once Designated a Rising
Comic Craftsman.
ABBEY OF ENGLISH R. A.
ARcHAEoLOGlsT AND ARTIST.

NEW YORK, Aug. 4. 4.--[Special. l-The
current number of The Century Magazine
contains an article and some pictures that
have set all the old time illustrators ana
writer's now in town to spinning reml-
niscent yarns. The article is entitled "A
MILDLY In Manila" 1t IL reprint from
the magazine when 1t was not The Gen.
tury at all, but Scribnor's Monthly, ana
the pictures bear the signature OF T.. "A.
Abbey.
The first publication of these pictures
was IN the August number of 1876, and |
they bring vividly to mind the fact that
Abbey was then often spoken OF as "a ris-
ing comic draftnnan. To such OF my |
readers as know this artist chiefly from |
his exquisite Shakespearean illustrations
and the smaller circle whose members
have seen tho noble decorative wall paint
inss done for the Boston Public library by
his hand this will seem almost unbeliev-
able. Yet no one oan look at the Abbey
illustrations of IA MILDLY In Manila
without understanding why he was ex-
pccted to develop chiefly along comic Lines:
At the same timc 1t must be admitteu
that these youthful sketches, made ~ years
ago, contained unmistakable traces OF the
delicate humor and sure grasp OF character
SO prominent In his later and best work.
Abbey's EARLY Work.
Today Z. A. Abbey Is one Of half dozen
American picture makers whose work Is
accepted abroad as thoroughly artistic In
1875 he was just beginning to "hnd him-
self," to get his grip, so to speak. de was
only a8, but he had been at work earning
his daily bread drawing pictures for the
Harpers for three full years and, what Is
more to the point, he was and is practlcai-
" self taught, since he began his art train-
ing drawing on the block for The weekly
under the supervision of publishing
house art superintendent instead OF max
ing charcoal sketches In school under
the supervision Of a famous teacher. And
while he had to make the very best PIC
lures no could from week to week nc also
had 10 get them out on time mt all hazards,
for the presses would not wait. Moreover,
as wood engraving was then virtually tho
only method of reproducing drawings he
had to draw every line with especial refer
| ence to the engravers' cutting tools.
| In this respect he was far moro handi-
| capped than any illustrator Of today, the
| various processes" adapting themselves
| TO all sorts of line and wash and brush
| work. Du Maurier, whose Punch draw
| ings made him famous long before ne
| wrote "Trilby," was Handicapped In the
| same fashion during almost his entire lifo,
| and because the British wood engrnvers
| of his day wero mu,h more limited as to
form of expression than Americans OF the
Same craft he fell into certain hard and
fast manncrisms that never could be got
rid of and which undoubtedly marred hif
really beautiful work. Whether Abbey
would have fallen into similar mannerisms
had the wood engraver remained supreme
in tho Held of art reproduction for the pop
ular press Is q question.
Expstriated but Patriotic.
Like whistler among American artist
and Bret Harte and Henry James among
American writer's, Abbey has long been
resident OF the old country. Like them
too. ho declares that he would prefer q
live here II only America could furnish TIN
desired artistic and literary atmosphere
quite forgetting, perhaps, that such an at
| ,nosphere never would be created here
all artists and writers Of American brit
were to take up residence abroad.
Unlike somo Americans who have don
this. however, Mr.. Abbey retains his statu
as a citizen OF tho United States, and
large proportion of his work Is paid 10
with American money, which Is not tru
with regard to the writings Of Bret Hart
} or tho pictures of james MoNeill Whistler
! Certain American artists OF undoubte
ability who sometimes find their picture
drug on the homo market declare ths
Abbsys foreign residence was decided ul
ON because he understood that IL woul
, insure better sales for his work hero tina
, | he could hope for rs an American residep
! Tho facts are certainly such as to len
credibility to this supposition, as any Ne
I York picture dealer will tell you. AS
; nation wo arc beginning to cultivate ar
!, but we have not yet got beyond the Ia
: cination of tho trade mark, 'Made In NJ
rope"
: Undoubtedly Mr.. Abbey's foreign res
2 dence has been OF great pecuniary benol
: 70 him. He never could have produc'
: the drawings for "She Stoops to Conquer,
9 which first made him really famous, M
he remained In America. The same
true with regard TO his Shakespeare pi
tures and TO n much greater extent
mural pictures for the Boston library.
Arch~oiogist ~ Well ~ Artist.
Mr.. Abbey's archaeological researches
preparing for the Shakespeare iiiustr
tions and the Boston library pictures we
n exhaustive and prolonged and there Is !
= | tie DOUBT tnut no II Dctbti 'tt'oNs - y
= lore Of certain periods Of English histo
= than any Briton now living. So well
this recognized I'm London that moro tn
e one British theatrical manager fc'
Il Obliged to consult Mr.. Abbey and to 9
he amino his unrivalod collection OF arm
and costumes before putting on play Ia
IL I'm mcdinvai times. There isn't n det
In the dress of fifteenth century gallal
;s Cavalier, Roundhead OF knight with viii
We Abbey Is unfamiliar, and his collection
rs mnrvelously complete.
Abbcy's standing In England Is as hi
socially as it is artistic, and that Is say
q good deal, since he Is one of the
ho Americans who have ever been made az
nd ciatc members OF tho Royal academy.
ge homo is an ideal old English mans
In standing I'm little park OF It's own n
n Fairford. few miles from London "
re, excellent taste he has preserved the
MS nishings Of tho house "a they were n {
tury ago, and the grounds are still laid
according to the quantity elegant sta
ards Of the post
err His studio Is n spacious structure