THE CONFESSIONS OF A CARICATURIST.
The Confessions of a Caricaturist. By Harry Furniss. Illus- trated. 2 vols. (T. Fisher tlnwin. £1 12s.)—One could make a very fair guess at what the tenor and style of these " Con- fessions" would be,—ingenuous, somewhat egotistic, keenly observant, almost cruelly so, and sometimes brutally frank. They are eminently characteristic of a caricaturist, and really go to prove a sharp remark of the author's, "that caricaturists do not distort features so mach as authors distort facts." For Mr. Furniss, though kindly in the main as to his estimate of men. is naturally tempted to illustrate character by anecdote. ' There are some of his most clever and successful drawings in these volumes, witness the wonderful sketch of Mr. Gladstone made with the wrong end of a quill, and some capital stories; for these alone his "Confessions" are worth buying, and one might very well say the same for the drawings. The story of hie early days—the ascent of the ladder of fame, and account of the miller Bohemian clubs of not so very long ago—furnishes the most inter- esting chapters in the book. We have heard many curious coin- cidences, but nothing more remarkable than that of the lady who, encouraged by something sympathetic about the young artist, related her intention, as the result of an unhappy marriage. to become a professional singer. Three years later Mr. Furniss described this scene to an unknown fellow-traveller, whose grow- ing excitement culminated in the avowal that he was the husband! But we advise our readers to get Mr. Furnias's "Confessions," and appreciate the light themselves—with the bushel off I He is very good company, though he does relate one or two unfeeling stories that he might have left out —they show lack of refinement—and his observation of character is most acute, and therefore inter- esting. It is a pity that he should have ended with the history of Like Joko, and thus leave an atmosphere of resentment about his parting words, for he writes well, if with a too obvious opinion of himself, is an able raconteur, and has produced a most entertaining book of his life-work and the scenes of his more famous triumphs.
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