Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-11
NOTED AS CARTOON|ST
FOR TERM Of 50 YEARS
Sir John Tenniel, Who Died Re-
Gently, Prominent in News
paper World.
His Artistic Pen Sketched Satire and
Pathos for London Punch.
His Career.
Special Correspondence of The Star.

Special Correspondence of The Star.
LONDON, March 2. 1914
| BY the death of Sir John Tenniel, for
! fifty years Punch's principal cartoonist
the newspaper world loses one OF its
most notable figures-perhaps the great
| est cartoonist that has ever lived. The
| fierce light that beats upon throne Is
| scarcely more searching than that which,
| throughout h:s long career. was thrown
| upon the work by which Sir John won
| fame. The peculiar character of that
work makes one hesitate whether to rank
him in the first place as an artist OF as a
| Journalist or as a statesman. His po-
sition was unique One seems to need
new word to describe it, not the less SO
because that position was largely of his
own making.
Born in 1920. Sir John would have been
ninety-four had he lived until today. His
general education was received at
school at kensington, but his art tram
ing he owed almost entirely to his own
initiative; and it was as d Self-made artlSt
that he held so independently 10 the style
he had formed fol-. himself when, in
after years, great influences were moving
around him and altering SO largely for
good the whole character of black-and-
white illustration.
Early Promise of Greatness.
Even In his boyhood Sir John gave
promise of greatness. At first he fancled
painting, and when sixteen he had
picture in oils exhibited at the SUFFOLK
street galleries. When he was twenty
five a cartoon of his. sixteen feet IN
length was accepted for the upper wait
ing hall of the house of lords In spite
of the competition of G. f. Watts and
Ford MADDOX Brown. Abandoning canvas
for wood, Tenniel illustrated 'Aesop S
Fables" Alice in Wonderland and the
"Ingoldsby Legends" 1t was on the
strength of this work that douglas Jer-
rold suggested him to Mark Lemon when
Punchs chief cartoonist, "Dicky' Doyle,
resigned in 1850. Differences had arisen
between Lemon and Doyle as to the line
Punch should take on the action of the
! Pope In appointing archbishops and
! bishops to English sees. and Doyle as a
good Catholic resigned.
When Tenniel was offered place on
the staff of Punch his first feeling was
one of Indignation. DO they suppose
there is anything funny about me- ne
is reported to have said. Nevertheless he
accepted the post and for start was
put on small things-initials and tail
pieces-but in time he took over from Mr.
Leech the big cut of the week. The
first Tenniel cartoon depicted Lord John
Russell as Jack the Giant Killer attack
ing Cardinal Wiseman. This appeared
early in 1851. From that date until
Times Appeal" his farewell effort, ap-
peared on New Year day. 1901, he drew
over 5000 cartoons. and the number OF
weeks he was not represented IN Puncn
can almost be counted on the fingers.
Set Pieces Not His Best.
Tenniel was generally at his best when
giving Judgment on some sudden or un-
foreseen event in politics which had stir
red mems minds deeply: his set pieces.
such as those for the old or the new
wear, were far less happy and original.
Most of US can remember the thrill which
a cartoon done in his later years seemed
to send almost throughout Europe-the
one called Dropping the Pilot" evoked
by the dismissal of Prince Bismarck
from Office as German chancellor. 1t
was a serious and wonderful summing UP
of great historical event Yet its force
would have been lost, but for the rugged
dignity with which the artist depicted
the figure of the displaced statesman
AS an intellectual commentary on the sit
uation it was perfect, and won the ad-
miration of the German Emperor and
Prince Bismarck himself.
To mention all Sir Johns great tri-
umphs is like summarizing the history OF
Victorian England The British Lion 8
Vengeance on the Bengal Tiger" the
striking cartoon which appeared during
the Indian mutiny in 1851; the prophetic
Vision on the Way: Beware" which
marked the coming of the Franco-Prus-
sian war; the Political Mrs. Gummdge,"
showing Mr. Gladstone sitting under a
portrait of Lord Beaconsfield and think
ing OF the old un,' are q few which oc-
cur to every one. His cartoons on the
American war included 'Habet." the
north, and south as gladiators. before the
enthroned and imperial negroes. which
some. Mr.. Spielmann tells u.s.. have held
to be his finest work, and the anecunS
picture of Britannias tribute to Column
bia on the assassination of Abraham Lin
coin.
Beaconsfield was never popular with
Punch, and Tenniel was nearly as severe
to him as his predecessor in the big
cuts had been. but Dizzy" like many
toons in which he figured. He often real
lied the joy of whichthe late Lord Goschen
spoke at Rugby in November. 1881. when
he said that he had attained to the high
est ambition which statesman can
reach-namely, to have a cartoon in
Punch all to himself
Used a Special Pencil.
No known pencil was fine enough for
Sir John, whose lines looked, so it was
sometimes said, as though breath would
blow them away. He always used spe-
cially manufactured pencil known as
H. II. H. H. H. H. Il get my subject
on Wednesday night" he once explained
Il think it out carefully on Thursday. and
make my rough sketch. On Friday morn
ing / begin, and 1 stick to it all day with
my nose down on the block. The block
being finished. it is handed over to
SWANS boy, and at 1880 1t is put in hand
for engraving. That is completed on the
following night. and on Monday evening
/ receive by post a copy of next w ednes-
days paper. Although case-hardened, in
a sense, / never have the courage to open
| the packet. l always leave 1t to my sis
| ter when 1 just take a glance at 1t and
receive my weekly pang.'
! Sir John was knighted on the recon-
mendation of Mr.. Gladstone In 1893. He
| had survived his wife, and two years ago
was much shaken by the death of his sis
| ter, Miss Victoria Tenniel, who died al
Fitzgeorge avenue in her eighty-eighth
year During the last few years of his
| life he was quite blind, but was still in
| terested in the great world in which he
| had played his part. L. H. MOORE.