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by his grand knowledge of the nude； his calm； his restraint； he is such an
illustrator of Homer as is not likely to arise again。 For whowith all our
added knowledge of classical antiquitywho； of our modern artists； could
hope to rival such thoroughly Greek compositions as the ball…play of
Nausicaa in the 〃Odyssey；〃 or that lovely group from AEschylus of the
tender… hearted； womanly Oceanides； cowering like flowers beaten by the
storm under the terrible anger of Zeus？ In our day Flaxman's drawings
would have been reproduced by some of the modern facsimile processes；
and the gain would have been great。 As it is； something is lost by their
transference to copper； even though the translators be Piroli and Blake。
Blake； in fact； did more than he is usually credited with； for （beside the
acknowledged and later 〃Hesiod；〃 1817） he really engraved the whole of
the 〃Odyssey；〃 Piroli's plates having been lost on the voyage to England。
The name of the Roman artist； nevertheless； appears on the title…page
（1793）。 But Blake was too original to be a successful copyist of other
men's work； and to appreciate the full value of Flaxman's drawings； they
should be studied in the collections at University College； the Royal
Academy； and elsewhere。 ｛9｝
Flaxman and Blake had few imitators。 But a host of clever designers；
such as Cipriani； Angelica Kauffmann； Westall； Uwins； Smirke； Burney；
Corbould； Dodd； and others； vied with the popular Stothard in
〃embellishing〃 the endless 〃Poets；〃 〃novelists；〃 and 〃essayists〃 of our
forefathers。 Some of these； and most of the recognised artists of the
period； lent their aid to that boldly… planned but unhappily…executed
〃Shakespeare〃 of Boydell；〃black and ghastly gallery of murky Opies；
glum Northcotes； straddling Fuselis；〃 as Thackeray calls it。 They are
certainly not enlivening… …those cumbrous 〃atlas〃 folios of 1803…5； and
they helped to ruin the worthy alderman。 Even courtly Sir Joshua is
clearly ill at ease among the pushing Hamiltons and Mortimers； and； were
it not for the whimsical discovery that Westall's 〃Ghost of Caesar〃
strangely resembles Mr。 Gladstone； there would be no resting…place for the
modern student of these dismal masterpieces。 The truth is； Reynolds
excepted； there were no contemporary painters strong enough for the task；
and the honours of the enterprise belong almost exclusively to Smirke's
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〃Seven Ages〃 and one or two plates from the lighter comedies。 The great
〃Bible〃 of Macklin； a rival and even more incongruous publication； upon
which some of the same designers were employed； has fallen into
completer oblivion。 A rather better fate attended another book of this
class； which； although belonging to a later period； may be briefly referred
to here。 The 〃Milton〃 of John Martin has distinct individuality； and some
of the needful qualities of imagination。 Nevertheless； posterity has
practically decided that scenic grandeur and sombre effects alone are not a
sufficient pictorial equipment for the varied story of 〃Paradise Lost。〃
It is to Boydell of the Shakespeare gallery that we owe the 〃Liber
Veritatis〃 of Claude； engraved by Richard Earlom； and indirectly； since
rivalry of Claude prompted the attempt； the famous 〃Liber Studiorum〃 of
Turner。 Neither of these； howeverwhich； like the 〃Rivers of France〃
and the 〃Picturesque Views in England and Wales〃 of the latter artist； are
collections of engravings rather than illustrated booksbelongs to the
present purpose。 But Turner's name may fitly serve to introduce those
once familiar 〃Annuals〃 and 〃Keepsakes；〃 that； beginning in 1823 with
Ackermann's 〃Forget…me… Not；〃 enjoyed a popularity of more than thirty
years。 Their general characteristics have been pleasantly satirised in
Thackeray's account of the elegant miscellany of Bacon the publisher； to
which Mr。 Arthur Pendennis contributed his pretty poem of 〃The Church
Porch。〃 His editress； it will be remembered； was the Lady Violet Lebas；
and his colleagues the Honourable Percy Popjoy； Lord Dodo； and the
gifted Bedwin Sands； whose 〃Eastern Ghazuls〃 lent so special a
distinction to the volume in watered…silk binding。 The talented authors； it
is true； were in most cases under the disadvantage of having to write to the
plates of the talented artists； a practice which even now is not extinct；
though it is scarcely considered favourable to literary merit。 And the real
〃Annuals〃 were no exception to the rule。 As a matter of fact； their
general literary merit was not obtrusive； although； of course； they
sometimes contained work which afterwards became famous。 They are
now so completely forgotten and out of date； that one scarcely expects to
find that Wordsworth； Coleridge； Macaulay； and Southey； were among the
occasional contributors。 Lamb's beautiful 〃Album verses〃 appeared in
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the 〃Bijou；〃 Scott's 〃Bonnie Dundee〃 in the 〃Christmas Box；〃 and
Tennyson's 〃St。 Agnes' Eve〃 in the 〃Keepsake。〃 But the plates were；
after all； the leading attraction。 These； prepared for the most part under
the superintendence of the younger Heath； and executed on the steel which
by this time had supplanted the old 〃coppers；〃 were supplied by； or were
〃after；〃 almost every contemporary artist of note。 Stothard； now growing
old and past his prime； Turner； Etty； Stanfield； Leslie； Roberts； Danby；
Maclise； Lawrence； Cattermole； and numbers of others； found profitable
labour in this fashionable field until 1856； when the last of the 〃Annuals〃
disappeared； driven from the market by the rapid development of wood
engraving。 About a million； it is roughly estimated； was squandered in
producing them。
In connection with the 〃Annuals〃 must be mentioned two illustrated
books which were in all probability suggested by themthe 〃Poems〃 and
〃Italy〃 of Rogers。 The designs to these are chiefly by Turner and
Stothard； although there are a few by Prout and others。 Stothard's have
been already referred to； Turner's are almost universally held to be the
most successful of his many vignettes。 It has been truly saidin a recent
excellent life of this artist ｛10｝that it would be difficult to find in the
whole of his works two really greater than the 〃Alps at Daybreak；〃 and the
〃Datur Hora Quieti；〃 in the former of these volumes。 Almost equally
beautiful are the 〃Valombre Falls〃 and 〃Tornaro's misty brow。〃 Of the
〃Italy〃 set Mr。 Ruskin writes：… 〃They are entirely exquisite； poetical in the
highest and purest sense； exemplary and delightful beyond all praise。〃
To such words it is not possible to add much。 But it is pretty clear that
the poetical vitality of Rogers was secured by these well…timed
illustrations； over which he is admitted by his nephew Mr。 Sharpe to have
spent about 7000 pounds； and far larger sums have been named by good
authorities。 The artist received from fifteen to twenty guineas for each of
the drawings； the engravers （Goodall； Miller； Wallis； Smith； and others）；
sixty guineas a plate。 The 〃Poems〃 and the 〃Italy；〃 in the original issues of
1830 and 1834； are still precious to collectors； and are likely to remain so。
Turner also illustrated Scott； Milton； Campbell； and Byron； but this series
of designs has not received equal commendation from his greatest eulogist；
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