ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE ANNUALS, No. M.
FORGET ME NOT.
NEITHER do we forget, in noticing this old favourite, that it was the first specimen of its class that appeared in England ; the Adam of annuals —may it live to attain the age of Methuselah! Its embellishments main- taut their character for beauty and excellence, and have kept pace with the improvements of its rivals. It has one of Mr. ManTra's magnifi. cent banquet scenes, with his waste of architectural splendour, and an as sortment of high priests and ladies, all intended to tell the story of Queen Esther; to which a distant view of the city, and of the gallows erected by Haman for Mordecai, forms (with its noose) a running accompaniment. Miss L. SHARPE has produced a pretty picture of a modern party, the figures of which are tastefully drawn and cleverly grouped : it is called "The False One;" and the story is of a very handsome young officer, in the profession of a lady-killer, performing the character of a male coquette, to the misery of the fair one to whom he had previously paid his attentions ; his sword (we suppose), which lies on the ground under some drapery, has been mistaken by the engraver for a curtain-pole and rendered accordingly. "An Italian Scene," by BARRETT, IS one Of hie beautiful sun-tight effects in a graceful landscape composition. Enwirr LANDSEER'S inimitable picture of the "Cat's Paw" makes a most effect- ive print, and is extremely well engraved by R. GRAVES, who has given the expression of the animals well : we could have wished for more bril- liancy in the plate, remembering the glowing warmth of the original picture. " The Painter Puzzled," by J. KNIGHT: an artist in hie study waiting Loran idea ; which is happily illustrated by some punning verses by Dlr. Hoop. " The Political Colder," bargaining for a Bona- parte, is a clever little design by A. CHisHoLmE. The "Japanese
Palace, Dresden," by PRoux : a rich specimen of Moorish architecture, thrown in striking perspective by the broad pencil of PRour, and well
engraved by J. CARTEL Mr. ColmouLD's " Disconsolate" is an ample specimen of womanhood in a very uneasy attitude. " Benares," by Pert. SE R, IS a splendid composition of Indian araitecture. "Lady Beaufort:' a tasteful design by STEP/JAI/OFF. ; the figures in better proportion than is usual with this artist. "The Noontide Retreat," by PHILLIPS: the portrait of a lady seated on the grass under the shade of a tree' holding a parasol, with a spaniel beside her; the lady, who has an intelligent ex- pression of her strongly-marked features, appears to want. her lower limbs. " The Boa Gliaut," by W. WEsTm.r. : a stupendous Indian scene of a cataract that out-thunders Tivoli ; beautifully engraved by E. FIN DEN. " Bessy Bell and Mary Gray," a pleasing composition by J. R. WEST of an Arcadian scene, with appropriate stillness in the air. A sweet piece of pastoral effect.
THE CAMEO.
Another new annual ! exclaims the reader, as we did before we opened the volume, when we found that it was a rifaciraento of the Bijou. It is a selection of the most beautiful and interesting plates that have ap- peared in that annual during three years, with a reprint of the choicest pieces of writing. It contains, however, one novelty in addition to its title, namely, a reduced copy of the profile sketch of the young Napo- leon by Sir THOMAS LAWRENCE, which was so finely engraved by BROMLEY in the line manner, and published by TIFFIN of the Hay- market. The reduced copy by A UGUsTirs Fox is beautifully engraved in line ; but, on comparison, the likeness and its expression are not ren- dered so accurately as they might have been. The idea of this volume is good ; for the plates selected are really of superior merit, and the greater part of them being portraits by LAWRENCE, they possess suffi- cient interest to create a new class of purchasers. The portraits are those of the young Duke of Reichstadt, already noticed ; Miss Murray ; Honourable Master Lambton ; Master Lock ; Miss Thayer ; . Mrs. Ar- buthnot; Lady Wallscourt ; and the King—all by LAWRENCE; Sir WALTER SCOTT and his Family, by WILKIE, and the Bagpiper, by the same ; STOTHARD'S "Sans Souci," a champttre scene ; HoNisra- TON'S "African Daughter ;" PICKERSGILL'S "Oriental Love-letter ;" the head of a child, after Sir JOSHUA., and one after LAWRENCE. The plates are for the most part in good condition ; some of them appear to have been retouched, but, as a choice selection, they are exquisite and unrivalled, and worthy of the title. The portrait of the late King, in the copy before us is very perfect, and seems to be an original impression.. Every purchaser of Annuals who has not got the Bijou will possess him-• self of the Cameo.
• THE JUVENILE FORGET ME NOT Contains some very pretty plates of appropriate subjects, which can- not fail of being attractive to the young readers. A tine specimen of infant boyhood iu the attitude of prayer, very nicely engraved by T. WootatoTH is called " Samuel,' though clothed in tartan. The "Juvenile Masqueraders," by C. LANDSEER—the "Juvenile (why not young ?) Architect"—" The Breakfast"—" Who'll serve the King ?" one of FARRIER'S boys playing soldiers, very fittingly introduced here —Child "Going to Market," a pretty cottage scene by SHAVER—" The Cottage Door," an effective piece of vraisemblance, by W. HUNT—Rays " Preparing for the Race," by R. B. DAVIS, indifferently engraved by G. SARTAIN—make together a superior show of embellishments.
THE NEW YEAR'S GIFT.
The Illustrations of this Juvenile Souvenir are, both in design and execution, of a superior order. We have another group of child- soldiers by FARRIER, very appropriate and acceptable, and extremely, well designed; a pretty picture of some little Savoyards by ER- MONSTONE ; a "Boat-launch," not So well engraved ; a Hottentot girl, looking very comic and comfortable; a very well-drawn figure, by HOLLINS, of a Roma' peasant girl called Tonina, with a charac- teristic and expressive countenance ; an effective and interesting subject, and beautifully engraved by Crianr.Es ts; a magnificent Indian scene, by W. WESTALL ; a clever design by his brother RICHARD, called the Sanctuary, which we fancy we have seen before ; and "the Soldier's Wife," which we know we have, for it has been engraved on a larger scale—but it is a pretty subject, and will bear repeating, be- sides that it will be new to its little • admirers. This set of embellish- ments would not disgrace an annual of greater pretensions.
THE HUMORIST.
The embellishments of this new Annual consist of wood-cuts from de- signs by ROWLANDSON, who lately died in poverty. His humour was rich, broad, and fat ; of the consistency of hasty-pudding, "thick and slab." His style was made up of curves, as though his figures were moulded out of dough. He was the very reverse of GEORGE CRUM- SHANK, whose style is all angles and points', brilliant and picquant. ROWLANDSON was a caricaturist even in his pictures ; GEORGE CRUD:- SHANK is a delineator of character even in his caricatures. Row LAND: SON was a droll humorist ; GEORGE is a clever satirist. The former appealed to your sense of the grotesque ; the latter to your sense of the ludicrous. The one was extravagant, and set no bounds to the vagaries of his pencil ; the other is full of purpose, and transfixes with his acute pen individual images of fun. ROWLANDSON'S was graphic humour and drollery ; GEORGE'S is graphic wit and satire. The style of the latter is admirably adapted to wood engraving, being sharp, angular, rich in detail and effect ; ROWLANDSON'S is not complete without colour—he not only drew with but for it, and his designs lose half their value when rendered in black and white. His irregular and broken line also, so favourable to the obesity of his style, is lost in a wood-cut ; aquatint is the only medium for his works. 'We hope that as GILRAY'S caricatures were re-engraved, ROWLANDSON'S Will also. Though it was not alone in caricature that he excelled—he was an artist, and his pictures are full of nature ; though he made his pigs and dogs droll, and his styles and sign-posts seemed to grin, while the face of nature presented one broad smile. His college doctors are -grim gormandizers, and his damsels have all a smile of good-nature and conscious prettiness that is really charming. The undulating flow of his line in female figures gave a grace and air even to his caricatures. His old misers looked like walking coffers with padlock faces. The snaggy proboscis and jagged jaws of some of his old men contrasted well with the rotund proportions and dumpling shapes of others ; and he would give the scraggy outline of a lean figure with as many indentations as a saw. His negroes' faces were like plum-puddings bursting out laugh- ing; and his wigs blossomed with fulness. Poor RowLawnsos: ! he lived beyond his age, and even his Doctor Syntax came a day too late.
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