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THE PICTORIAL PRESS.


[Illustration: HEADING OF 'THE JACOBITE'S JOURNAL,' 1747.

(_Supposed to be Drawn by Hogarth._)

(_See page 197._)]

  THE
  PICTORIAL PRESS
  ITS ORIGIN AND PROGRESS.


  [Illustration]


  BY

  MASON JACKSON.

  With One Hundred and Fifty Illustrations.


  LONDON:
  HURST AND BLACKETT. PUBLISHERS.

  13 GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET.
  1885.


  _All Rights reserved._




NOTE.


Some of the chapters of this book in a condensed form were published a
few years ago in the _Illustrated London News_, and my acknowledgments
are due to the proprietors of that journal for permission to reprint
such of the woodcuts as accompanied the text in that form. I have also
to thank them for their courtesy in allowing me to use several other
engravings from the _Illustrated London News_, including some from the
early numbers, which must now be reckoned among the curiosities of the
Pictorial Press.

  M. J.




CONTENTS.


                                                                    PAGE
  CHAPTER I.                                                           1

  The Pictorial Taste Universal--The Early 'News-books'--Development
  of the Newspaper Press--General use of Newspapers--Establishment
  of Illustrated Journals--Wandering Ballad-Singers the First
  Newsvendors--The _English Mercurie_ of 1588--The Abolition of the
  Star Chamber and its Effect on the Press.

  CHAPTER II.                                                          8

  Illustrated Broadsides--Sir Francis Drake's Operations against the
  Spaniards--Papers of News in the Reign of James I.--The first
  Periodical Newspaper published in England--Illustrated Tracts
  relating to Storms and Floods--Remarkable Murders favourite
  subjects with the early Newswriters--Murder of the Rev. Mr.
  Storre--Murder in Cornwall--Apparition of Three Skeletons--Visions
  in the Air--Attempt on the Life of the Duke of Buckingham--Fall of
  Meteors at Bawlkin Green, Berkshire--The _Swedish
  Intelligencer_--Passage of the River Leck by Gustavus
  Adolphus--The Sallee Rovers--The _Weekly News_ of 1638, an
  Illustrated Paper--The Irish Rebellion of 1641--The Plague in
  London--Murder on board an English Ship--The Earl of
  Strafford--His Execution on Tower Hill--Archbishop Laud--A
  Burlesque Play about him--Attack by the Mob on Lambeth
  Palace--Caricature of the Devil offering Laud a Cardinal's Hat.

  CHAPTER III.                                                        63

  Ben Jonson's Ridicule of the Early Newspapers--Fondness of the Old
  News-Writers for the Marvellous--The Smithfield Ghost--The
  Wonderful Whale--The Newbury Witch--Satirical Tracts and
  Caricatures at the Commencement of the Civil War--Religion Tossed
  in a Blanket--Caricatures of the Pope and the Bishops--Pluralists
  and Patentees--Taylor, the Water Poet--_Mercurius
  Aulicus_--Activity of the Pamphleteers--Welshmen
  Satirised--Satires on Prince Rupert--On the King and Queen--The
  Ladies' Parliament--Illustrated Tracts relating to Social and
  Political Subjects--Sir Kenelm Digby's Duel--The King entertained
  by the City of London, 1641--Executions in 1641--The Liquor
  Traffic and Sunday Closing in 1641--Abuses of the Ecclesiastical
  Courts--Ritualism and Nunneries in 1641--Truths enforced by
  Lieing--Stage Players and the Plague in 1641--Bartholomew Fair in
  1641--Destruction of Charing Cross and Cheapside Cross--Strange
  Apparition--Method of enforcing their Views adopted by the Puritan
  Pamphleteers--Parodies of Roundhead Sermons--Matthew Hopkins the
  Witch-finder--The _Welsh Post_ of 1643--William Lilly the
  Astrologer--Three Suns seen in London on the King's Birthday.

  CHAPTER IV.                                                        108

  The Civil War--Flying Sheets of News--Disturbance at
  Kingston-on-Thames--Plot against London--Riotous Proceedings at
  York, and Conspiracy in Edinburgh--The House of Commons--The Royal
  Standard raised at Nottingham--Battle of Edgehill--Prince
  Rupert--The Lord Mayor of London--_Mercurius Civicus_--The
  _Scottish Dove_--The _Flying Post_--The _Kingdomes Weekly
  Post_--Cruelties of the Cavaliers--The 'Levellers'--The King's
  Escape from Oxford--Funeral of the Earl of Essex--The Great Seal
  Broken--Fairfax--Cromwell--Sea Fight in the Channel--The Prince of
  Wales's Squadron--Mutiny at Norwich--Siege of
  Colchester--Execution of Sir Charles Lucas--The King at
  Carisbrooke Castle--Execution of the King--Confession of Richard
  Brandon.

  CHAPTER V.                                                         153

  Decrease of Newspapers after the Civil War--_Mercurius
  Democritus_--The _Faithful Post_--The _Politique Post_--Broadsides
  for the People--The Hollow Tree at Hampstead--Prodigious Monster
  taken in Spain--The Restoration--Trial of the Regicides--Execution
  of the Regicides--Licenser of the Press appointed--Popular Taste
  for the Supernatural--Apparition in the Air in Holland--Revival of
  _Mercurius Civicus_--Murder of Archbishop Sharpe--The _Loyal
  Protestant_--Frost Fair on the Thames--Monmouth's Rebellion--The
  Bloody Assizes--Funeral of Queen Mary, Consort of William
  III.--Increase of Newspapers after the Revolution.

  CHAPTER VI                                                         180

  Constant Attempts at Illustrated News--Increase of
  Caricatures--The _Postman_, 1704--Fiery Apparition in the Air,
  seen in London--Caricature against the Jacobites--The South-Sea
  Bubble--Eclipse of the Sun, 1724--The _Grub Street Journal_ an
  Illustrated Paper--The _Daily Post_--Admiral Vernon's Attack on
  Porto Bello--The _Penny London Post_--Henry Fielding and the
  _Jacobite's Journal_--_Owen's Weekly Chronicle_--_Lloyd's Evening
  Post_, and the Trial of Lord Byron for the Murder of Mr.
  Chaworth--The _St. James's Chronicle_--Illustrated Account of a
  Strange Wild Beast seen in France--The _Gentleman's Journal_ of
  Anthony Motteux--The _Gentleman's Magazine_ of Edward Cave--The
  _London Magazine_--The _Scot's Magazine_.

  CHAPTER VII                                                        219

  Revival of Wood-engraving by Thomas Bewick--The _Observer_
  started, 1791--The _Times_ an Illustrated Paper--Illustrations of
  News in the _Observer_--St. Helena and Napoleon Bonaparte--Abraham
  Thornton and the 'Assize of Battle'--Mr. William Clement and
  Illustrated Journalism--The Cato Street Conspiracy--Trial of Queen
  Caroline--The House of Commons in 1821--Coronation of George
  IV.--Royal Visits to Ireland and Scotland--Murder of Mr.
  Weare--Illustrations of the Murder in the _Morning Chronicle_, the
  _Observer_, and the _Englishman_--_Bell's Life in
  London_--Prize-Fight at Warwick--Liston as 'Paul Pry'--'Gallery of
  Comicalities,' &c.--_Pierce Egan's Life in London_--Death of the
  Duke of York--Death of Mr. Canning--Opening of Hammersmith Bridge,
  1827--Mr. Gurney's Steam Coach--The Thames Tunnel--The Murder in
  the Red Barn--The Siamese Twins--Death of George IV.--Opening of
  New London Bridge, 1831--Coronation of William IV. and Queen
  Adelaide--Fieschi's Infernal Machine--Funeral of William
  IV.--Queen Victoria's First Visit to the City--Coronation and
  Marriage of the Queen--Christening of the Prince of Wales--The
  _Weekly Chronicle_--The Greenacre Murder--Mr. Cocking and his
  Parachute--The Courtney Riots at Canterbury--Burning of the Tower
  of London, 1841--The _Sunday Times_--Burning of the Houses of
  Parliament, 1834--The _Champion_--The _Weekly Herald_--The
  _Magnet_--Removing the Body of Napoleon I.--The _Penny
  Magazine_--Charles Knight--Humorous Journalism of the Victorian
  Era.

  CHAPTER VIII                                                       284

  The _Illustrated London News_--The Early Numbers--The Burning of
  Hamburg--Facetious Advertisements--Bal Masque at Buckingham
  Palace--Attempted Assassination of the Queen--The Queen's First
  Trip by Railway--First Royal Visit to Scotland--Political
  Portraits--R. Cobden--Lord John Russell--Benjamin Disraeli--The
  French Revolution, 1848--The Great Exhibition, 1851--The Crimean
  War-- Pictures--Christmas Numbers--Herbert Ingram--The
  _Pictorial Times_--Other Illustrated Journals.

  CHAPTER IX                                                         315

  How an Illustrated Newspaper is
  Produced--Wood-Engraving--Boxwood--Blocks for Illustrated
  Newspapers--Rapid Sketching--Drawing on the Block--Method of
  Dividing the Block for Engraving--Electrotyping--Development of
  the Printing Machine--Printing Woodcuts--Machinery for Folding
  Newspapers--Special Artists--Their Dangers and Difficulties--Their
  Adventures in War and Peace.

  CHAPTER X                                                          355

  Artists who have assisted in founding the Pictorial Press--Sir
  John Gilbert, R.A., G. H. Thomas, and others--Wood-Engraving and
  its Connexion with the Pictorial Press--Other Methods of producing
  Illustrations--Wood-Engraving in England before and after Bewick's
  time--Its wide Diffusion owing to the kindred Art of Printing--The
  resources of the Art developed by Pictorial
  Newspapers--Conclusion. Newspapers a Necessity of Civilised
  Life--The _Acta Diurna_ of the Romans--Early Newspapers in Venice,
  Germany, and the Low Countries--List of Illustrated Newspapers
  published Abroad.




THE PICTORIAL PRESS: ITS ORIGIN AND PROGRESS.

CHAPTER I.

  The Pictorial Taste Universal--The Early 'News-books'--Development of
  the Newspaper Press--General use of Newspapers--Establishment of
  Illustrated Journals--Wandering Ballad Singers the First
  Newsvendors--The _English Mercurie_ of 1588--The Abolition of the Star
  Chamber and its Effect on the Press.


The inherent love of pictorial representation in all races of men and in
every age is manifest by the frequent attempts made to depict natural
objects, under the most unfavourable circumstances and with the
slenderest means. The rude drawing scratched on the smooth bone of an
animal by the cave-dweller of pre-historic times, the painted rocks of
the Mexican forests, and the cave-paintings of the Bushmen