Evening star., 1923-09-27
The North Window
BY LEILAsMECHLIN

book IL it had no pictures" and con-
Tossing that ne himself formed an in
stant prejudice against "The Out
iIne Of Literseure' because of it's
illustrations, Edmund Lester Pear
son, in Ereeent article In. the. Out
looks Book liable, calls attention to
the relationpf pictures to books.
There Is e common mtsconception
among publishers as well as read
terest of a. book. regardless of wheth-
er they are good or bad. The first
volume of "The Outline Of Litera-
ture" is not the only book that has
been spoiled for some persons by
IT'S poor or iil-fitting illustrations;
account there are many among us
who really gloat over the handsome
fly printed book which has no illus
trations at all. For an art lover this
may seem an extraordinary confess
sion, but what Is worse than to have
two good things ill-mated; and often
as not the marriage referred to is
on far lower. plane. for the art
which goes into the illustrations Is
OF very mediocre sort.
To be a, great illustrator one must
be a great artist, and of such there
are few. The ILLUSTRATOR cannot be a
mere picture-maker; he must be able
TO grasp the idea and intention of the
writer and to visualize in a universal
way his conception. II the author is a
powerful writer his word-pictures
are sufficiently graphic for the read
er to form his own conception, and in
such cases a weak Interpretation is
rather an insult than a JOY. We
know that the. very scenes depicted
were difficult In reality. the reality
which the author has created through
his genius with his pen. For this
very reason it is an extremely dam
gerous feat to attempt to have new
illustrations fitted to an old tale, one
which is well known and widely pop
ular. Occasionally 1t has been done
with success, but to achieve such
success the illustrator must have su-
perlative interpretive ability. Edwin
Abbey's Shakespearean illustrations
We're, superb, but even they did not
satisfy every requirement, nor should
this be expected of them. We have
many interpretations of Hamlet on
the stage. There Is room for variety
in pictorial Interpretation as well,
but as in the drama so in graphic
art, poor representation is a hate
full thing and had better not exist.
+ y
Some books, however. have been
greatly enhanced through the art of
the illustrator One comes to mind
instantly-Mrs, Burnett's Little Lord
Fauntleroy." illustrated by Reginald
ever, that the Illustrations and the
book reached the public simultane-
ously and that the illustrator sue
ceeded in creating type which COM.
pletely satisfied the ideal set forth
by the author. Once and for all time
Pno roll he mo-
established the individuality of the
Little Lord Fauntleroy that Mrs. Bur-
nett created.
On the other hand. as an example of
an old work repictured, there is THE
Vicar of Wakefield" reprinted in
illustrations by Hugh Thomson. On
the whole long shelf of books de-
lightfuliy illuatrated none is more
deserving of place than this little
liable; they illuminate the text; they
are works of art; they are the per-
fection of illustration. Or, again. let
us note little volume of narrative
poems-"Dorothy O." and others, by
oliver Wendell Holmes. issued by the
Riverside Press, Cambridge, in 1898,
with exquisite illustrations by our
own Howard Pyle. one of the greatest
illustrators that this country has
produced. Here again picture and
decoration, accord with the text and
not only embellish but efucidate. The
drawings are almost, all in pen and
ink and they are done with a certain
piQuancy which adds to their merit.
Howard Pyle was both writer and
illustrator and some of his best work
his own tales. Naturally. in this in
stance, there twas no conflict the
vision was one and the same.
There are in the book world happy
instances of copartnership along these
lines between husbands and wives.
the late Walter Hale and his wife,
Mr.. and Mrs. Thornton Oakley. The
women. in all three instances, have
been the writer's, the men the illus
traitors, and the. illustrations have to
great extent been of things or
places seen together:
y y
Royal Cortissoz, in an introduction
to the Annual of the Society of IL
Illustrators, published by Charles
Scribaer in 1911, which, alas, has had
no successors, tells of the artists
edition of Washington IrVings 8
Sketch Book, which was brought out
in 1S63-a pioneer effort of a group
of notable artists to increase in
telligent and discriminating taste
for fine illustration at a time when
the country was groanfng under the
sorrows of war. 1t was sumptueus
volume; the, illustrations were en-,
graved from original designs and
Mr.. Cortissez pays the artists the
high compliment of declaring that
they did their best to collaborate
with the printer, producing works
which showed sensitiveness to scale
and pictures well balanced, never dis
locating the typography. But he ad-
mits that the massive book, with Its
honest paper, its admirable type, its
really workman-fike gliding and It's
handsome binding" Is today hope
lessly old-fashioned." Such a book
Tennyson's poems and the other pop
ular works which lay on the marble
top parlor tables of the seventies
and inspired with awe through the
medium OF their full-page steel en-
cravings the little ones of the fam
lily, who with freshly washed hands
were allowed as great privilege to
turn their leaves. And what has be-
come of all the books that Dore il
lustrated?
But what fine works were done by
some of the illustrators in America
in the eighties, before the half-tone
process had come into vogue, elimi-
mating many difficulties, but also
curtailing certain privileges, par
ticularly that of individuality: John
w. Alexander's famous portrait OF
Walt Whitman was painted for the
purpose of reproduction Through
the medium of wood engraying) in
one of the leading magazines. Robert
Blum was making charming sketches
at that. time. of Salvini, Joe Jefferson
and Irving in, their several roles.
Frost was beginning his delightful pic
torial representation of rural life, which,
happily, is still going on.
More and more the illustrators OF
this country have turned to cotem-
porary themes. Remington helped 70
ha in no ntracfinn hv his