MR. HAMERTON'S ILLUSTRATIONS.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—Your reviewer, in the Spectator of Ju!), 9th, says he has always a certain difficulty in dealing with an illustrated book, because he feels doubtful whether the text is an accompaniment to the illustrations, or the illustrations accompany the text. Will you permit me to say that in the case of books by me, which happen to be illustrated, I always write as if there were to be no illustrations (this may happen in future reprints, especially American), but do not refuse any additional light that the illustrations may give ? I notice, however, that the addition of illustrations (especially when they are numerous) almost invariably lowers a book in the estimate of reviewers,— at least, so far as their first impression is concerned.
My book on Paris might be printed without plates or cuts, but it gains, I think, considerably in clearness from those which accompany it. I was glad to see that your reviewer did justice to their merits, and that he appreciated the sketches by Lalaure, almost his last work, which are not so much studies of Paris, in any literal sense, as a dying Parisian's recollections of familiar scenes. Your reviewer is mistaken, however, in attributing to Maxime Lalaure the picture of " Children in the Garden of the Tuileries." This was etched by Adolphe Lalauze, whose name it bears.
I looked after the illustration of my little work on Paris myself. It originally appeared in the Portfolio, which we are in the habit of illustrating somewhat profusely. This may account for the number of illustrations in the book, and also for their variety. Your contributor has discovered that a note on p. 224 refers to a reproduction of an etching on p. 318. The note was right originally in the Portfolio, and has been preserved in the reprint by an oversight. I am not aware that there are any other oversights, but did not myself arrange the pages of the current edition.—I am, Sir, &c.,
P. G. HAMERTON.
Previous page
