thorough English face lies asleep in bed; while Othello in his shirt and slippers, with a tiny tasselled nightcap perched on the top of his curly head, raves at a crinoline. This garment he holds together in his hands, the upper portion forming the letter O, though the drawing is not used for an initial letter, and the right hand also grasps an Italian rapier. There followed, on May 14, eight cuts, representing "The Rejected of the Academy." These, which are very funny, are "Vice"-drawing of a vice; "The Chops of the Channel"-three chops flying in the air; "The Old, Old Story "a dilapidated cottage by the sea, with a broken window shutter; "The Mill Race"-two windmills with human legs and arms having a race; "The Missing Link" -a torch; "This is a sorry sight, Macbeth "-two hands extended from a nose just shown in the margin; "Venus Rising from the Sea" -a star ascending out of the water; "Unto this Last"-a shoemaker's last on the floor. The text is exceedingly droll. Pains are taken to describe the beauties of the several pictures the suggestiveness of the screw which closes the anvil; the streaks in the chops, and the angry air, and the light upon the falling shutter, "aërial perspective has never been carried to such perfection." The article winds up with a solemn declaration that these pictures furnish proof of the nondecadence of English art. The sketches are interesting also as the first introduction of the series, now so popular, in the hands of another artist "The Academy Pictures." On May 28 there appeared six small pictorial renderings of "Foreign Intelligence:" "The Bourse opened flat"-a bag containing money wide open; "Lively appearance after business hours "the same bag closed and distended with money; "Hides active but with a downward tendency "-a bull leaping over a gate; "Iron Market: Pigs dull" three fat pigs asleep; a man in a cotton night-shirt reading a newspaper by the light of a candle, which is dripping, in illustration of "Cotton Market," "Stripes tending upwards," and "Tallow yielding;" "Foreign Stocks a shade higher, and Gold advanced"-represented by a foreigner wearing an exceedingly high stock, and breast pins standing out conspicuously from his breast. In the same number is the first halfpage illustration which Eltze drew. On the wall are the words "To the Underground Railway," and three ladies in crinolines are watching a sewers' man descending by an open grating. These sketches scarcely bear comparison with those which follow, but improvement was quickly manifested, and the half-pages became more numerous. His humour was first apparent in "A Friend in Need," September 24-an old gentleman being helped up on to the front seat of an omnibus by a boy with the bristle end of his broom; and on October 1, "The Safest Way of taking a Lady down to Dinner"-the lady taking up the whole of the staircase, and the gentleman descending outside the balusters. The first drawing in which he showed his wonderful skill in imparting motion to the things he drew, and suggesting action on the part of his figures, appeared on October 8, a half-page called "How very thoughtful!" A boat rowed by a waterman, and very deep in the sea, carries three ladies and four gentlemen. "Old lady" says, "Are you not afraid of getting drowned when you have the boat so full?" to which the boatman replies, "Oh, dear_no, mum, I always wears a lifebelt, so I'm safe enough." The boat is moving through a broken sea, articles that are worn are flying backwards, a lady's crinoline spreads over the stern in the water, and gulls hovering in the air add to the completeness of the illusion. On October 29, 1864-the day Leech died-there appeared another half-page by Eltze, entitled "Too clever by half!" in which a little child with her finger in the mouth of a baby tells her indignant aunt, amid the amusement of three other ladies, "Baby's mouth so funny; it's just like yours before you get out of bed-no, not one tooth." The half-pages drawn by Eltze after Leech's death rapidly improved in quality. That on November 5, is called "A slight misunderstanding," some draymen are engaged in lowering a cask into a cellar below a church, and a foreigner asks "Any body in that?" to which the reply is "A very good body too." On December 24, appeared "A scene in a Ball-room," Spriggles, with an admirably drawn face, has burst his braces, and the ladies surrounding him thinking he has been taken ill are tendering sympathy. One of his best illustrations in Punch ap peared February 18, 1865, and represented what Mr. Punch saw on St. Valentine's Day. The text is as follows:-"A gentleman who does not wish to give his name for family reasons, states that just for the fun of the thing, he looked out of the window to see if he should have a Valentine, and that was what met his eye." On the right hand page Mr. Punch is standing at an open window, and below on the opposite page is a sea of pretty faces, every one raised smilingly towards the window. On April 29, 1865, there was an exquisite half-page, entitled "A case of Ring Dropping," representing a marriage service interrupted by the bridegroom dropping the ring. The picture is crowded with figures, the parson, clerk, bride, bridegroom, bridesmaids, and verger, nearly all of whom are taking part in the search, turning over hassocks, and raising dresses. The clergyman and the verger being the only two not actually engaged in the search. 66 a big hat, sits in a perambulator; there are two children in the traces prancing along; a fourth, a little girl, has fallen, a boy blows a paper trumpet, and a dog is running; the driver seeing the fallen child, calls out, "Sit on her head and cut the traces." There is life in every figure, animation and glee in the children's faces, and the little terrier's coat is electrified, and every hair stands up. In May 5, 1866, is a famous scene full of fun and energy. A number of boys and girls, the grandchildren of a Bishop, have got into his library, and are building a dog kennel with the old folios. The dogs Eltze introduced were always long-haired terriers. One boy is on a pair of folding steps, getting another book from the shelf, when the good Bishop comes in with a rush. Catching hold of one child by the arm, he makes a leap for the boy on the steps, and catches hold of him also; the others on the floor are too intent in Another half-page full of life and movement appeared on June 17, and is entitled 'Query Do not the long skirts kindle Christian feeling in our hearts when leaving church?" There is a crush in the aisle of the church after service, men are thrown against pew doors, gentlemen are enclosed by the long trains of the ladies, and in en-covering the dog with an open folio to notice deavouring to avoid treading upon them create confusion, which is admirably depicted upon the faces of the ladies; one gentleman in his vain endeavour to avoid the train of a lady, loses his wig; one or two are raising their legs, another is about to stamp his foot down wildly upon a train, to preserve his perpendicular. The ladies sail on, some with placid countenances, others looking viciously at the gentlemen behind, or with a sneer at the lady by their side. On December 30, 1865, appeared the first of the series devoted to the amusements of children. This is called "The Waits"-four pretty children in their night dresses, with a little dog, at a bedroom door, and underneath the words, "The only ones to whom Mr. P. gives a Xmas box." On February 4, an "Animated Egg" represented some lads rolling a snowball, in the centre of which was one of their companions. Punch's Almanack for 1865 contains several of his illustrations, full of those tender touches of which he was the best exponent of his day. A very sweet drawing appears under the heading of "A Christmas Sermon." A child is sitting with an elder sister in a pew at church: "Lizzy: Oh, Amy, where is the misletoe? Amy: They never have it in church, dear. Lizzy: Oh! then we must not love each other when we are in church." In the volume of Punch for 1866, March 17, is one of the happiest of his productions; this is called "Presence of mind," and represents a number of children in the hall of a house playing at horses. The driver, wearing for the instant, and the child on the steps protests at the attack made on him with the excuse, "We are only taking the very oldest we can find.” In Good Words, for 1864, there appears only one drawing by Eltze, amongst a number of others by Millais, Tenniel and Pinwell. This was called "At the Gate," and represented a child in thin garments, blown by the wind, looking through a gateway at a mansion whose windows are lighted. It illustrates a poem by J. C. A., beginning : "Footsore, cold, and weary, The child stood at the gate," and the story is of a mother, who, dying, entreats her daughter to follow her through the gate into the far country. Finding this iron gate and beautiful house, the child fancies she has found the entrance to the far country, and lingers there until driven away by a coldhearted porter. The engraving on the opposite page is from the original pen-and-ink sketch for the finished drawing. Eltze himself named this drawing "A Child's idea of Heaven." The Sunday Magazine for 1865 has a fullpage sketch by him entitled "Gleaning." There is a poem which describes the scene illustrated: : "When I went out to glean The sea was still, the tree was still, Here the gleaners are a few women, two girls "The Table Book," illustrated by Eltze (altogether an idea of his own) and edited by Mark Lemon, was published by Bradbury and Evans in 1867, and this book gave to "At the Gate." the gentle artist the utmost scope for the exercise of his peculiar talent. Its full title was "The New Table Book, or, Pictures for Young and Old Parties, with a copy of verses to each picture, and a page for everybody's Favourite." The editor's lines were of the fewest, the address beginning: "Gentles all, although our Pictures speak for themselves, it has been thought meet to tag them with brief rhymes, if not with much reason," &c. In the "Table Book" are many very striking pictures, boys home from school sliding down the balusters of a staircase; children at the sea-side joining hands and dancing in the water; Christmas games; and out-door sports. Eltze also furnished eight illustrations to a well-known little book, by Miss Ingelow, entitled "Stories told to a Child." The chief drawings which he made for Once a Week appeared in 1868, two years before his death, when his weakness had made him a close prisoner, waited upon by his affectionate and admiring mother. They were all double-page pictures, and illustrated the social questions of the day sea-side sketches, incidents at Wimbledon, the effect : of the hot weather on people, and the plea of women for the franchise. Every picture is instinct with life, motion, and merriment. In 1869 he drew the Calendar Page to "Punch's Almanac." Punch is represented coquetting with a lady, skating, lolling on the sea-shore, and playing pan-pipes. In the centre Punch bears the world on his shoulders, and children's faces, laughing and smiling, appear everywhere. Amongst the signs of the Zodiac a steaming kettle is introduced. Everything is animated and stirring, and every face is laughing. In 1869 Eltze made many drawings for The Illustrated Midland News, which was conducted by Mr. Joseph Hatton. The Christmas number was designed by him, and he made a large drawing for the first page, entitled "Bringing in Christmas." He also drew the Incidents of the Week. In January, 1870, he drew "Coming home from Church on a Winter Sunday." The The last of his social pictures in Punch appeared January 15, 1870, and was called "In Town, and Country." "In Town," paterfamilias with his wife, both covered with the same umbrella, are struggling against a storm of wind and rain. street is crowded with foot passengers, and every step taken causes the water to spring up. In " Country," fields are represented under water, there is a row of stunted willows with naked branches, and rain is falling: a desolate picture having something akin to his own experience of life. It is quite impossible to exhaust the beautiful series of social sketches which Eltze made. His very last drawing was to an initial letter "C," and appeared September 17th, 1870. Punch wearing a Turkish fez is represented on a minaret, with hands extended, and the text begins thus :-"Come, all of you, and listen: Mr. Punch begs leave to acknowledge (without thanks) 7,827 jokes, literary or pictorial, on the word 'Sedan.'" That was the leave-taking of poor Fritz Eltze. The Illustrated Midland News published the last illustration of his on February 11, 1871; this was a three-quarter page drawing, the subject being "a valentine," made, says the editor, shortly before he died. It was in happy accord with the work he did, and very suggestive that the very last work should be the token of tender love, a valentine. The picture, which lacks animation, represents two young maidens standing before a toilet mirror, examining the valentines they have received. All that the editor says of Eltze is that he was "a rising artist, and died comparatively young." He was only thirty-four at the time of his death. Our full page picture, taken from a drawing never before published, illustrates a theme of which the artist never tired: the Joyousness of Children. Eltze died at 10, Claremont, Holy Trinity, Hastings, in the parish of St. Mary-in-theCastle, on November 11, 1870, from consumption. His mother and his niece were with him at the time of his death, and they afterwards brought his body home to 6, Trafalgar Square, Chelsea; and the final interment took place at Kensal Green, Dr. Painter, of Beaufort Gardens, Brompton, joining the unhappy women on that mournful occasion. In all the intercourse I had with him, I was deeply impressed by his affectionate devotion to his parents. His love for his mother was very conspicuous. After his father's death he was her chief support, and manifested his love. by a thousand delicate attentions. They never seemed to tire of each other's company, and the mother, though he was at home all day, never seemed to tire of him; nor did he ever show the least trace of irritability at living so monotonous and solitary a life, but appeared to be one of the happiest and merriest | of men. Without acquaintances, or friends, with only an occasional trip out of doors, and that always taken in a cab, and with the daily papers, he continued to conjure up scenes of delightful merriment ;-quietly sarcastic pictures, seaside tricks or enjoy. ments, phases of social life, and sarcastic hits at social blots. Children were a ceaseless source of enjoyment to him; yet he never had the opportunity of seeing them in their pleasant parties at home, or out of doors. But with him the child was the embodiment of all that was jolly, beautiful, tender, gentle in human life; and he portrayed them laughing, frisking, skipping, playing, without a suggestion of sin, or want, or weakness. Eltze studied at Leigh's schools of art, in Newman Street, for three or four years. In person he was very tall, probably not of less height than six feet, with delicately chiselled features. He was a man of refined taste, and was endowed with a genial and sensitive nature. He was much respected by all who knew him, and generous to a degree, and was always ready to acknowledge the genius shown by the work of other artists, at the same time that he was ready to admit his own shortcomings. In 1860 there were many great artists before the public. Once a Week was the only weekly publication illustrated that could afford to employ such men as J. E. Millais, F. Leighton, F. Walker, J. Tenniel, J. Leech, E. J. Poynter, F. Sandys, C. Keene, S. L. Fildes, C. Green, and many others. This periodical was the only medium for bringing together so many artists of high standing. The work was mostly of a facsimile character, so that the particular style of each artist was represented. I was fortunate in having a good staff of assistants, who took delight in working with me to preserve the special characteristic of each artist's drawing; and without their aid it would have been impossible to have done justice to so much work in the time. I consider the greatest compliment ever paid me was by Father Christmas. |