New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-09

Suggestive notes accompany hundreds of the
| entries and thousands OF the latter have kind
Of efoquence OF their own, throwing through the
mere collocation of dates and names a slender
but useful stream OF light on matters only
vaguely known to the general reader. This is a
guide for collectors, and those experienced gen
tlemen Will Of course. derive more profit and
pleasure from its pages than the layman can ex-
pect: vet even the laymaD must appreciate the
authors minute learning and the eighteenth
century atmosphere which exhales from his long
array Of terse but comprehensive descriptions
The eighteenth century was, in France espe-
cially, a time of extraordinarily artistic book
Illustration. 1t was, OF course I'm this ma'ter
divided from our own time by great gulf The
realistic pictures made so familiar in our DOCKS
through the modern development OF the artistic
spirit and through the wide employment OF the
camera. would have been incomprehensble to
Essen or Boucher, just the designs Of those
masters do not enter into the minds of those
recent writers on illustration who count Danel
Vierce az the greatest master OF all time. Now
adays We ask an illustrator TO be artistic, but
also to be true. He must not simply adorn the
books of travel the novels and the histories
which we put in his hands; he must strengthen
embellishing Elizabethan lyrics and the com
edes OF Shakespeare. brings archaeology to the
aid of his Imagination, and gives us costumes
and accessories backgrounds whether Of archi-
lecture or landscape carefully studied from
what We NAV roughly term original sources.
The French illustrator Of the last century gave
no thought to archaeology. Whether he was de-
signing an Accompaniment for an anti -ue poem
with NEUROLOGICAL personages, or dealt with
work Of contemporary manners he varied hut
slightly the character and carriage Of his figures
and the lines Of his compositions His work
was exactly expressive OF the "mileu' IL which
il was produced That ~ to say. il wa. IRE
spective of subject, graceful. dainty. elegant
fun of artifce and at the same time fun Of the
peculiar. indefnabe charm which belongs t. 50
many phases Of the life Of that amazing period
The hcroines OF books in those days were studied
in boudoirs and in landscapes which were both
excessively decorative over architecture. furni-
ture and costume there were flung touches Of
which one begins by calling ford
and ends 10y calling delightful Everybody. IL
books and out Of them lived IL d world half real
and half fantastic; there was abundant taste
but II was taste Of a rather precious sort; ele-
gance had 10 be secured though al else went
by the board and the illustrators reflect this
situation III their works as accurately as IN
mirror Thus the subject Of Mr. Lewine's book
is one Of curious attractiveness one IN which We
do not dream Of looking for any of the qualities
that to-day seem Indispensable TO the illustra-
ton Of literature
The eighteenth century men, indeed did not
so much illustrate htcratur, as aud to the store
of decorative furniture Take the celebrate
work of Dorat "Les Basers." II tins mad beer
cheaply printed il would long since have been
forgotten. But Eisens plates, mis- head and tail
pieces have an Incompatible grace; 70 take the
volume ~ The hand is like picking ny miracle
OF craftsmanship from cabinet OF gold and
sill, Ell knickknacks There were no easy
productive processes III those days Books Tuch
as we have without number, IN which famous