Gordon Frederick BrowneRIRBA (15 April 1858 – 27 May 1932) was an English artist and a prolific illustrator of children's books in the late 19th century and early 20th century. He was a meticulous craftsman and went to a great deal of effort to ensure that his illustrations were accurate. He illustrated six or seven books a year in addition to a huge volume of magazine illustration.
Some sources say that Browne began accepting commissions when still a student as money was in short supply at home as his father had been unwell in 1867 and was partly incapacitated by illness.[5] However, Kirkpatrick considers this unlikely as Browne was only 9 years of age in 1867, and that his earlies known illustrations only appeared in 1875.[6]
Brown's first book illustrations was for The Day After the Holidays (1875), A school story by Ascott R Hope. This inaugurated numerous commissions for books and for contributions to periodicals.[4] Among these was work for Aunt Judy's Magazine He then drew several Christmas cards and took a course in drawing on wood. James Cooper, his tutor, introduced him to Blackie's, the London publishers, for whom he began to illustrate juvenile books.[7] The first book he illustrated for Blackie was Facing Death: The Hero of the Vaughan Pit (1882) by
G. A. Henty.[6]
From the 1880s, Browne was one of Britain's most prolific illustrators. Houfe says that "Browne illustrated a truly amazing quantity of boy's stories, tales and novels". His total volume of work was enormous. Kirkpatrick gives the estimate that Browne produce c. 3,660 images in his work.[6] Browne also wrote himself. He exhibited his work extensively with over 200 works exhibited during his life (a few of these may have been repeated at different venues).[note 1]
Book illustration
Browne illustrated six or seven books a year.[9] His historical research for his illustrations was painstaking. He assembled a collection of armour, helmets, pistols, daggers, swords, uniforms, and even saddles. When working, he would refer to these constantly to ensure his depictions of historic dress and arms were accurate.[7]
Browne took great care that he understood the text he was illustrating. He would read the text first, and then read it again to identify the details of the scene to be illustrated.[10] Such was Browne's renown for his careful research that George Bernard Shaw, in a review of Stories of Old Renown by Ascot R. Hope said: Mr. Hope describes Guy of Warwick as unhorsed, and fighting the dragon with his sword after he has been thrown and has lost his spear. Mr. Gordon Browne's illustration shows Guy on horseback fighting with his sword. Which is right?[11]
Example of book illustration
Browne illustrated fourteen of
G. A. Henty's novels, including the first seven published by
Blackie and Son.[12] One of these was "Facing Death: The Hero of the Vaughan Pit: A Tale of the Coal Mines." This was first published by Blackie in 1882 with six drawings by Gordon Browne. A second version of the first edition was published in the same year, but this time with eight illustrations as shown here.[13]
Bulldog finds a friend
In the old shaft - will he be saved
Nelly's first lesson
A life and death struggle
Jack is victorious
The new school mistress
After the first explosion - the search party
Saved
Authors illustrated by Browne
The range of authors whose books were illustrated by Brown is extensive and the list, drawn from a range of sources[14][15] includes:
Alice Corkran (1843–1916), an
Irish author of children's fiction and an editor of children's magazines and annuals.
E. E. Cowper (1859–1933), Edith Eliza Cowper, a prolific
English author of juvenile fiction, much of which was published by the
SPCK, who had eight children by
Frank Cowper, yachtsman and author, from whom she separated shortly after the last of her children was born.
Evelyn Everett-Green (1856–1932), who moved from pious stores for children, through historical romances, to adult romances under a range of pseudonyms.
Juliana Horatia Ewing (1841–1885), an
English writer of children's stories, which show both an insight into childhood and a strong religious faith.
B. L. Farjeon (1838–1903), a prolific
English novelist, playwright, printer and journalist.
Frederick Farrar (1831–1903), an
Anglican cleric, schoolteacher, and author of essays and of boys' school stories.
George Manville Fenn (1831–1909), a prolific author of fiction for young adults.
Amy Le Feuvre (1861–1929), a prolific author of books for children with a Christian message.[17]
Browne wrote and illustrated several books for young children using the pen name A. Nobody. The following shows an example of the simplified style he used for young children.
Front Cover
Frontispiece
Title page
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
Back Cover
Magazine Illustration
Browne illustrated for many magazines. The following list is based on page 79 of Kirkpatrick,[22] the source is indicated where names have been drawn from other sources:
The following example of magazine illustration shows the scale of work involved in illustrating even a single serial story. The Sorceress of the Strand by L T Meade and Robert Eustace appeared as a serial in the Strand Magazine volumes 24 and 25 in 1902 – 1903. It was copiously illustrated by Browne.
Do you want a match, sir?
I am a beautifier
This is my sanctum sanctorum
Why are you afraid of her
She bowed, and the peculiar look she had before given me flashed over her face
She jumped up from the table
I counsel you, Mr. Selby, to guard your life
I had lost to him nearly £200,000!
Vandeleur in an open fly dashed through
Lady Kennedy told me all about it
It must be done
She is preparing to convulse society
Forewarned is forearmed
We quite understand each other, don't we, nurse?
Madame wrote something on her neck
What is it, little one?
Rebecca Curt was standing in the middle of the room
She treated her with a rare want of sympathy
How kind of you to come
He dashed headlong down
You must not scold me
You mean Madame Sara?
A phlegmatic-looking man opened the door for us
There in the moonlight...
Either you are the spectre, or it is supernatural
Beneath the window lay a dark, huddled heap
Professor Pozzi entered
You exceed the limits of propriety
Ah! There are few women so kind
Who would want to take my life?
I will revenge myself on Madame to the last drop of my blood
I am sorry to hear of his illness
Are your operations for securing patent rights complete?
He reeled and made a lunge forward
It is a curious fact
Don't look at me
I observed a man
I do not know envy Ali Khan his billet
Heaven help me!
Look closely at it if you will
A man with a mask over his face approached her
Two minutes later we were rushing through the night towards London
Laura's old nurse thrust a note into his hand
My friend, Sir Joseph Dixby
You are certain you will not turn coward?
She lashed the animal
She sat still
The smile faded from his face
There is no help whatever in that direction
The great Madame Sara
Death
Browne died on 27 May 1932 at his home at 4784 Upper Richmond Road in
Richmond, Surrey.[25] The cause of death was heart failure.[26] His effects totalled £426 17s 9d.[25]
Assessments of Gordon Browne
Despite his talent, Browne never achieved the critical acclaim accorded to some of his contemporaries. Enormously painstaking and highly talented, he failed to equal the fame of his father only because his work appeared too widely and in cheap editions, so that he never became associated with a single significant author.[4] Peppin and Micklethwait agree that his failure to achieve the famed of his father was due partly to him never becoming the lead illustrator for any author of note, and also because much of his vast output was published in very cheap editions. However, they concluded that on the grounds of energy, competence, reliability, and sheer volume he must be rated among the most important illustrators of his time.[10]
Doyle concludes that: Gordon Browne's work over the years was so varied and full, so skilled, and of such a consistently high standard that praise would seem invidious. He was equally at home with character-drawing, action scenes or placid landscapes. His animals were as convincing as his people and his children were realistic and vigorous.
Houfe is less complimentary, and states that: He was clearly an artist who pleased editors and in this way there is a sameness about his work which dulls it: characters look very much alike whether they are Besant's or Henty's[2] Kirkpatrick reports that James Thorp, in English Illustration: The Nineties (1935) says that: if he failed to achieve greatness it was due to the monotonous sameness of many of his illustrations, particularly in facial character...[27]
Sketchley said that: ... on the whole, the stores illustrated by Gordon Browne are adequately illustrated. and goes on to say that he illustrates more from reality than from the imagination, and that his ideas of fairyland... are no less brisk and picturesque than are his ideas of everyday and of romance. Nevertheless, she concluded that his style It is a healthy style, the ideals of beauty and of strength are never coarse, wanton or listless, the humour is friendly, and if the pathos occasionally verges on sentimentality, the writer, perhaps, rather than the artist is responsible.[28]
Dalby wrote Gordon Browne was one of the greatest illustrators of the Golden Age, both in terms of quality and quantity. His sheer prolificity, averaging six books a year for nearly half a century, may have undervalued his reputation, but there is no doubt his innumerable vivid and painstakingly accurate drawings were always successful and much liked by generations of children addicted to the perennially popular classics he illustrated. Many late Victorian writers, from Mrs Ewing to Henty and Fenn, were delighted to have their stories illustrated by this most felicitous of artists.[29]
^
abcKirkpatrick, Robert J. (11 July 1905). "Gordon Browne". The Men Who Drew For Boys (And Girls): 101 Forgotten Illustrators of Children's Books: 1844-1972. Robert J. Kirkpatrick. p. 78.
^
abDoyle, Brian (1968). "The Illustrators: Gordon Browne". The Who's Who of Children's Literature. London: Hugh Evelyn Ltd. pp. 315–316.
^Johnson, J.; Greutzner, A. (8 June 1905). The Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club. p. 81.
^"Edwin Hodder". The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Cantgerbury Press. 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
^Kirk, John Foster (1908). "Hudson, Frank". A Supplement To Allibone S Critical Dictionary Of English Literature British And American Authors Vol I. Vol. II. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company. p. 865.
^"Chelsea Gossip". Chelsea News and General Advertiser (Friday 16 January 1914): 5. 16 January 1914.
^Kirkpatrick, Robert J. (11 July 1905). "Gordon Browne". The Men Who Drew For Boys (And Girls): 101 Forgotten Illustrators of Children's Books: 1844-1972. Robert J. Kirkpatrick. p. 79.
^
abcdefghijklmnKirkpatrick, Robert J. (11 July 1905). "Gordon Browne". The Men Who Drew For Boys (And Girls): 101 Forgotten Illustrators of Children's Books: 1844-1972. Robert J. Kirkpatrick. p. 81.
^"Death of Mr G. F. Browne: Artist Son of "Phiz", the Dickesn Illustator". Western Daily Press (Tuesday 31 May 1932): 5. 31 May 1932.
^Kirkpatrick, Robert J. (11 July 1905). "Gordon Browne". The Men Who Drew For Boys (And Girls): 101 Forgotten Illustrators of Children's Books: 1844-1972. Robert J. Kirkpatrick. p. 82.