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CHEAT HUMOURIST PASSED
Harry Furniss Dead.
A Remarkable Career.
LONDON, January 15.
The death occurred to-day of the
famed caricature artist, author, and
lecturer, Mr; Harry Furniss. He was
born at Wexford, Ireland, in 1854, and
was therefore in his seventy-first year.
His father was an engineer, his mother
the daughter of the veil-known Newcastle
on-Tyne author, publisher, and politician,
Eneas MacKenzie, the founder of the
Joseph Cowen political school of that
place. He was educated in Dublin, and
began drawing for periodicals and maga
zines at a very early age. Wherever
British illustrated newspapers circulated,
the name of Furniss and his wonderful
work in black-and-white were known. He
was, without doubt, the leading carica
turist of his time. Not only that—lie
was a prolific .writer, an indefatigable lec
turer, and an extensive traveller. He
settled in London at the age of 19 years.
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THE LATE MR. HARRY FURNISS. luitiiiiiiiiiimimiimiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiitmitiitmmiiiiiiiimitimiiiiiimiiii Help
THE LATE MR. HARRY FURNISS.
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The metropolis, and then England, soon
became aware of the presence of a new
genius. For many years he contributed
to The Illustrated London News, The
Graphic, Blaek-aud-White, Illustrated
Sporting and Dramatic News, and the
principal magazines in Great Britain and
the'United States.
Connection with Punch.
Next he joined up with Punch. His
first drawing in Punch appeared in 1880,
and he was on the regular staff four years
after. At that time his Punch Parlia
mentary Views were collected and pub
lished in an edition de luxe. His prin
cipal works in Punch were Parliamentary
scenes and sketches of members, with few
exceptions drawn direct in the Houses and
finished in the studio. Besides his work
in Punch, he contributed drawings to
Harper's in America, and others, and to
numerous papers, The World and Vanity
Fair among them. He brought out boolm
for children, with coloured pictures, en
titled "Romps." In 1890 he was elected
one of the original Fellows of the Insti
tute of Journalists. In 1891 Mr. Furnisa
produced - his first entertainment, "The
Humours of Parliament," which he gave
all over the country for two" seasons.
This was followed by "America in
Hurry," produced after a visit to the
United States.- He made a tour of the
world (1897-98), visited the United States,
Canada, Australia, and other countries.
Mr. Harry Furniss severed his connection
with Puuch in 1891, and afterwards edited
a comic threepenny weekly, entitled Lika
Joko. This was amalgamated with The
New Budget, a -'continuation of Mr.
Astor's Pall Mall Budget, but finding it
too stereotyped a publication, Mr. Furniss
discontinued it 1895, and produced his own
periodica], entitled Fair Game. The fees
paid for his caricatures by several London
editors touch the high-water mark of
such transactions.
"Great Parliamentary Draftsman." |
One affectionate public designation ofj
Mr. Furniss was that of "Great Parlia-I
mentary Draftsman," for his mar-1
vellously conceived, yet never unkind,
caricatures undoubtedly wielded influence
inside of Parliament and outside of it.
The amount of work he was able to per
form was amazing. Drawing for the
multitude of journals which clamoured for
his conceptions, lecturing here,' there, and
everywhere, writing books (sometimes of
a serious nature), he yet found leisure to
exploit the commercial field. For in
stance, about 1880 Lily Langtry wrote to
Pears's Soap a testimonial which was
published (with floral embellishments), as
follows:—"Two years ago I used your
soap. Since when I have used no other."
This made an excellent advertisement for
the firm for years. Then in an issue of
Punch a Furniss. brainwave produced the
sketch of a dirty tramp labouriously writ
ing a testimonial in the same words. The
firm concerned immediately grasped the
subtle humour of the situation, and adver
tised the skit even more widely, so that
it became worid-famed. He also wrote
ihoving picture, plays, and acted in them.'
Visit to Australia.
■■ In May, 1897, the late caricaturist came
to' Australia, on & lecturing-.tour tinder the
management of. the jateMr. ft, S. Sinythe:
Of the trip and its results hesaid:~-,'As
soon as I arrived X went about' in,search
-of A. type of . the Australian girl for qtjrj
pictures; and was sketching one from my
hotel window as typical of the real Aus
tralian, when the captain of the* ship I
had travelled by came in, and said, 'Oh,
there's that Cockney, Hiss So and So.*
She had come over. in the same boat,
second class, and had never been in Aus
tralia before."
Very Earliest Days.
To hark back a bit. reference may be
made to Mr. Furniss's very youthful
efforts. He told one of his innumerable
interviewers:—"The first cartoon I ever
drew appeared in The Schoolboy's Punch,
of which I was sole proprietor, producer
(it was in pen and ink, published
monthly), editor, and contributor. By
the-way, George Bernard Shaw was at the
■same school; I remember liim well. Sir
Edward Carson (now Lord Carson) was
another boy. My first cartoon was, art
fully, a complimentary treatment of the
bead master. So well was my juvenile
effort received that it ia not too much to
say it decided my future career. From
that day forward I clung to the pencil,
and in a few years was regularly con
tributing cartoons to public .journals and
practising the profession I have ever since
followed. Drawing, in fact, seemed to
come naturally and intuitively to me.
I did not altogether escape the thraldom
of the drawing master, and as years went
on I made a really serious effort to study
at an art school under the Kensington
system, which I believe to be positively
prejudicial to a young artist possessing
imagination and originality. A short
time of the dreariness of art education
under the Kensington system sufficed to
disgust me with the art school, and I
preferred to stay at home caricaturing my
relatives and practising alone the rudi
ments of my art."
Genius and Opportunities.
Naturally, the artist met every type o!
man and woman—from prince to pauper.
His store of knowledge and anecdotes and
experiences was about as varied as the
cargo of an ocean liner. He knew liow
to illustrate them, write about them, or
talk about them. Perhaps Furniss was
to 'the English-speaking world what Mark
Twain was to America. The rare gift
of humour makes us akin. He has left
the world richer for the exercise of his
rare gifts.
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