Harry French's Twenty Plates for Dickens's "Hard Times for These Times " in the British Household Edition (1870s) (original) (raw)

After the initial (serial) unillustrated publication of Dickens's Hard Times for These Times in Household Words in 1854, the first cheap edition (1865) had a single plate, frontispiece by A. Boyd Houghton. For the 1868 Library Edition, painter and magazine-illustrator Frederick Walker, R.W. S. and A. R. A. (1840-1875), had provided four drawings to accompany to accompany Hard Times. The next significant artist to illustrate the short novel was Harry French, who provided a comprehensive programme of a frontispiece and nineteen full-size (generally half- page) plates for the Household Edition published by Chapman and Hall in the 1870s (134 pages, double- columned as are those in Household Words are). The following illustrations appear compliments of The Dickens House Museum, 48 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2LX.

Related materials

• Illustrated Editions of Hard Times
• General Commentary

Plates and Commentary

• "Louisa, My Dear, You Are the Subject Of A Proposal of Marriage That Has Been Made To Me."
• Untitled [Ringmaster Sleary and His Daughter, Josephine, Costumed as a Horse-Rider.]
• Untitled: [Thomas Gradgrind Apprehends His Children Louisa and Tom at the Circus.]
• "'This Is a Very Obtrusive Lad!' Said Mr. Gradgrind."
• "'It Would Be A Fine Thing To Be You, Miss Louisa!'"
• "'Heaven's Mercy, Woman!' He Cried, Falling Farther Off From The Figure. 'Has Thou Come Back Agen?'"
• "He Felt A Touch Upon His Arm."
• "He Went Down Upon His Knee Before Her On The Poor Mean Stairs, And Put An End Of Her Shawl To His Lips."
• "'This, Sir,' Said Bounderby, 'Is My Wife, Mrs. Bounderby.'"
• "'What A Comical Brother-In-Law You Are!'"
• 'Heaven Help Us Aw In This World!'."
• "'Mrs. Bounderby, I Esteem It A Most Fortunate Accident That I Find You Alone Here.'"
• "Left Alone With Her Mother, Louisa Saw Her Lying With An Awful Lull Upon Her Face."
• "Mrs. Sparsit Advanced Closer To Them."
• "'I Only Entreat You To Believe, My Favourite Child, That I Have Meant To Do Right.'"
• "'You Have Seen Me Once Before, Young Lady,' Said Rachael."
• <"She Stooped Down On The Grass At His Side, And Bent Over Him."
• 'Now, Thethilia, I Don't Athk To Know Any Thecreth, But I Thuppothe I May Conthider Thith To Be Mith Thquire.'"
• "Here Was Louisa, On The Night Of The Same Day, Watching The Fire As In Days Of Yore."
• 20. Untitled: [A crowd has gathered in the street to read one of the posted broadsides exonerating Stephen Blackpool of charges associated with the bank robbery]

Characters by Number of Appearances Plates

• Louisa 12 No. 1, 5, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19.
• Thomas Gradgrind 5 No. 1, 4, 15, 16, and 17.
• Stephen Blackpool 5 No. 6, 7, 8, 11, and 17.
• James Harthouse 5 No. 9, 10, 11, 12, and 14.
• Josiah Bounderby 5 No. 4, 9, 11, 16 and 17.
• Tom 4 No. 3, 10, 11, and 16.
• Rachae l3 No. 8, 16, and 17.
• SissyJupe 3 No. 5, 17, and 18.
• Sleary 2 No. 2, 18
• Josephine Sleary 1 No. 2.
• E.W. B. Childers 1 No. 4.
• Master Kidderminster 1 No. 4.
• Mrs.Blackpool 1 No. 6.
• Mrs.Pegler 1 No. 7.
• Mrs.Gradgrind 1 No. 13.
• Mrs.Sparsit 1 No. 14.
• Characters not depicted: Bitzer, Slackbridge, Sissy's father, Jane Gradgrind, and Merrylegs

Reference List

• Dickens,Charles. Hard Times with twenty illustrations by H. French. London: Chapman and Hall [1875?].
• Hammerton, J. A. The Dickens Picture-Book. London: Educational Book [1910].

Created 17 April 2002

Last modified 25 December 2019