The Hagenbeck-Wallace Shows Combined

“Performers and crowd at Hagenbeck-Wallace shows. Holding forth a promise of elephants upon which to ride, popcorn to chew and the other attractions which time never dims, the Carl Hagenbeck and Great Wallace Shows combined will arrive in Indianapolis Sunday Aug. 23 for two performances … Three rings, two stages and a mile hippodrome track are included in the outfit.”

“…Strange as it may seem clowns are among the highest paid circus performers. The smallest salary paid to a clown with our show is $20 a week, which of course, includes board and transportation. There are more than half a dozen that are paid more than $100 a week and one who draws $400. Clown novelties are difficult to get. The funmakers tell us that a funny face will note always get a laugh. They must do the unusual thing.” –“Scenes In and Out of the “Big Top.” Indianapolis Star 16 Aug 1914: 3.

The Hagenbeck-Wallace Shows Combined, in Motion Pictures, 4 Big Reels. [below] Fifty Funny Fellows in Original Foolish Frolics,” 1911-1912. Circus Posters TC193.

The Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus was founded in 1907. Benjamin E. Wallace of Peru, Indiana, purchased the Carl Hagenbeck Circus and merged it with his own. The circus became known as the Hagenbeck-Wallace circus at that time, even though Carl Hagenbeck filed a lawsuit against the use of his name. Ultimately Wallace won the case and the name remained.

A Walk through Wordplay

The curators of the exhibition Wordplay: Matthias Buchinger’s Drawings from the Collection of Ricky Jay, gave a few Grolier Club members the rare treat of a personal gallery tour last night. Seen here are collector and co-curator Ricky Jay; Freyda Spira, Associate Curator, Department of Drawings and Prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; and Nadine Orenstein, Drue Heinz Curator in Charge of the Department of Drawings and Prints (apologies for the poor quality of my photo).

Matthias_Buchinger,_a_phocomelic,_with_thirteen_scenes_repre_Wellcome_V0007014

Welcome Collection because my camera failed to capture Mr. Jay’s copy

As their website explains, “This installation of drawings, prints, and related ephemera by the German artist and performer Matthias Buchinger (1674–1739) explores for the first time the oeuvre of the so-called Little Man of Nuremberg. Standing only twenty-nine inches high, and born without hands or feet, Buchinger was celebrated in his own time as a draftsman and calligrapher as well as a magician and musician. He boasted a clientele that included noblemen, kings, and emperors, along with members of the public who visited him at inns and fairs from Leipzig to Paris and from London to Belfast.”

http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2016/wordplay

Of particular interest to visitors from Princeton was an enormous broadside for another physically challenged artist of the nineteenth century named Sarah Biffin (also spelled Beffin or Biffen, 1784-1850). The Graphic Arts Collection holds several of Biffin’s miniature portrait paintings but none the ephemeral publicity for her performances, such as the one seen at the MET.

Born with no arms or hands or legs or feet, Biffin taught herself to perform a variety of everyday tasks using her mouth and shoulders. She developed a talent for drawing and painting; became an expert seamstress; and performed these abilities before a crowd of spectators.

Biffin’s family contracted with Emmanuel Dukes, a traveling showman, to make her one of his sideshow attractions. She traveled from town to town, painting or writing for the public’s entertainment. Dukes publicized her as “The Eighth Wonder!” and pocketed all the proceeds from the sale of her watercolors.

Thanks to the patronage from George Douglas, the sixteenth Earl of Morton (1761-1827), Biffin was finally released from her contract and established a studio in the Strand, London, where she painted miniature portraits.

Sarah Biffin (1784-1850), Capt. James West, 1844. Watercolor on paper. Signed, l.c.: “Painted by Miss Biffin – without hands, 1844”. Gift of W. Allen Scheuch II, Princeton Class of 1976, given in honor of Meg Whitman, Princeton Class of 1977. Graphic Arts Collection GA 2011.01448

Oliver Twist with Cruikshank’s original plate

George Cruikshank (1792-1878), “A Fast [first?] Sketch, George Cruikshank, Oliver Twist” ca. 1838. Pencil on paper. Graphic Arts Collection

Charles Dickens (1812-1870), Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy’s Progress. By “Boz”. [1st ed.] (London: R. Bentley: 1838). 3 v. Illustrated by G. Cruikshank. Contains the “fireside” plate, canceled in later issues and the plate substituted. Graphic Arts Collection (GA) Cruik 1838.2

In preparing for a visit from ENG 343 Word and Image: 19th Century Literature and Art, several editions of Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist have been pulled. Dickens famously did not like the final illustration and asked his artist, George Cruikshank, to draw another plate. Various editions over the years include one or the other of these illustration, etched in metal.

The matter supplied in advance of the monthly portions in the magazine, formed the bulk of the last volume as published in the book; and for this the plates had to be prepared by Cruikshank also in advance of the magazine, to furnish them in time for the separate publication: Sikes and his dob, Fagin in the cell, and Rose Maylie and Oliver, being the three last. Non of these Dickens had seen until he saw them in the book on the eve of its publication; when he so strongly objected to one of them that it had to be cancelled. “I returned suddenly to town yesterday afternoon,” he wrote to the artist at the end of October, “to look at the latter pages of ‘Oliver Twist’ before it was delivered to the booksellers, when I saw the majority of the plates in the last volume for the first time. With reference to the last one—Robe Maylie and Oliver—without entering into the question of great haste, or any other cause, which may have led to it being what it is, I am quite sure there can be little difference of opinion between us with respect to the result. May I ask you whether you will object to designing this plate afresh, and doing so at once, in order that as few impressions as possible of the present one may go forth? I feel confident you know me too well to feel hurt by this enquiry, and with equal confidence in you I have lost no time in preferring it.” John Forster (1812-1876), The Life of Charles Dickens (Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 1872-74): 191-92. Firestone Library (F) PR4581 .F677 1872

Bentley’s miscellany ([London : Richard Bentley], 1837-1868). (Cruik) 1837.6 vol. 5

Cruikshank replaced the final plate with this “Rose Maylie and Oliver (the Church version),” which is found in most copies.

Charles Dickens (1812-1870), The Adventures of Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy’s Progress. With twenty-four illustrations on steel, by George Cruikshank. A new ed., rev. and cor. (London: Pub. for the author, by Bradbury & Evans, 1846). “For this edition the plates were ’touched up’ by Findlay and changed in several details with sometimes new backgrounds added.” cf. J. C. Thompson, Bibliography. In the 10 original numbers, with all the green pictorial wrappers, in perfect condition, uncut; green morocco case. Graphic Arts Collection (GA) Cruik 1838.21

Pastures Green and Dark Satanic Mills

William Blake, Milton a Poem (London, 1804-1811). Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery

With the exhibition Pastures Green and Dark Satanic Mills: The British Passion for Landscape opening this weekend at the Princeton University Art Museum, we were looking for the exact origin of the title phrase.

As curator Betsy Rosasco writes, “In his preface to Milton (ca. 1804–10), the poet William Blake praises England’s “mountains green” and “pleasant pastures” and alludes to the legendary sanctification of British soil through a visit by the child Jesus with Joseph of Arimathea, said to have been a tin merchant by trade, to Glastonbury. This poem ends with a challenge to create a New Jerusalem, or ideal paradise, among the “dark Satanic mills” that already loomed in Blake’s day.” http://artmuseum.princeton.edu/story/pastures-green-and-dark-satanic-mills
According to the Blake archive, there are only two copies of Milton a Poem, with this preface: copy A, c. 1811 (British Museum, seen above) and copy B, c. 1811 (Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery, seen below).

Here’s the transcription:

And did those feet in ancient time,
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen!

And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold:
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In Englands green & pleasant Land.

Would to God that all the Lords people
were Prophets. Numbers XI. Ch 29. v.

The Princeton University Library holds the pochoir facsimile of copy D (Rosenwald Collection): William Blake (1757-1827). Milton: a poem in 12 [i.e. 2] books (Boissa, Clairvaux, Jura, France: Trianon Press; London: Distributed by B. Quaritch, [1967]. Rare Books: Oversize (Exov) 3631.3.364

To hear the version by Billy Bragg:

La Milagrosa Imagen de Nuestra Señora del Carmen.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the title given to the patroness of the Carmelite Order, also the patron saint of Chile. Her image with triangular robes is ubiquitous throughout Catholic communities of Central and South America. Even José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913) drew several prints of the Virgin Mary in this pose, as have countless others.

Within the Graphic Arts collection of plates, blocks, and stones is this unsigned etched and engraved copper plate, dated 1852, with the image of the Virgin Mary and the text: La Milagrosa ymagen de [Nuestra Señora] del Carmen, ano de 1852 (The miraculous image of Our Lady of Mount Carmen). Very possibly it was for the printing of a holy card.

The Punishments of China / Les Punitions des Chinois

“Burning a man’s eyes with lime” in Les Punitions des Chinois, représentés en vingt-deux gravures: avec des explications en Anglais et en Francais (London: Guillaume Miller; Printed for W. Miller by W. Bulmer, 1801). Twenty-two hand colored stipple engravings by John Dadley (1767-1817). Graphic Arts Collection GAX in process. References: Abbey Travel 532 (1804 edition); Colas 2010; Cordier Sinica 549

Preface. The Chinese code of penal laws is compiled in such a manner as to have a punishment appropriated for every crime; a series of these is displayed in the following Plates. The wisdom of the Chinese Legislature is no where more conspicuous than in its treatment of robbers, no person being deomed [sic] to suffer death for having merely deprived another of some temporal property, provided he neither uses, nor carries, any offensive weapon. This sagacious edict renders robbery unfrequent; the daring violator of the laws, hesitating to take with him those means which might preserve his own life, or affect that of the plundered, in the event of resistance, generally confines his depredations to acts of private pilfering; and a robbery, attended with murder, is, of course, very rarely perpetrated.

The manner of beheading.
Conducting an offender into banishment.
Close confinement.
Punishment of the wooden collar.

George Henry Mason, The Punishments of China. Illustrated by twenty-two engravings: with explanations in English and French (London: Printed for W. Miller by W. Bulmer, 1801). Graphic Arts Collections GAX in process.

1. A culprit before a magistrate; 2. A culprit conveyed to prison; 3. A culprit conducted to trial; 4. An offender undergoing the bastinade; 5. Twisting a man’s ears; 6. Punishment of the swing; 7. Punishing a boatman; 8. Punishing an interpreter; 9. The rack; 10. Torturing the fingers; 11. Burning a man’s eyes with lime; 12. A malefactor chained to an iron bar; 13. Punishment of the wooden collar; 14. A man fastened to a block of wood; 15. A malefactor in a cage; 16. Punishment of a wooden tube; 17. Hamstringing a malefactor; 18. Close confinement; 19. Conducting an offender into banishment; 20. A malefactor conducted to execution; 21. The capital punishment of the cord; 22. The manner of beheading.

Rowlandson’s metrical illustrations for Dance of Death

Thanks to our generous donor Dickson Q. Brown, Class of 1895, the Princeton University Library not only holds the original parts for William Combe’s English Dance of Death, but also fifteen proofs hand colored by Rowlandson. Here are a few:

Father Time! ‘tis well we are met:–
I am dispos’d to fume and fret,
To see that mortals have the power
Thus to prolong Life’s fleeting hour;
To see them thus display the art
That blunts my unavailing dart;
And, though the fatal arrow’s sped,
To make men live when they are dead:
While you with placid eye look on,
Nor blame the mischief that is done:
Nay, suffer the records to last
When many an age is gone and past.

William Combe (1742-1823), English Dance of Death: in twenty-four monthly numbers, from the designs of Thomas Rowlandson, accompanied with metrical illustrations, by the author of “Doctor Syntax” (London: Printed by J. Diggens … : Published at R. Ackermann’s Repository of Arts … and to be had of all the book and print-sellers in the United Kingdom., 1814-1816). 24 pts. in 1; 74 leaves of plates, in aquatint designed by Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827). Graphic Arts Collection (GA) Rowlandson 1814 and 1814.2

The earliest use of “metrical illustrations” that I’ve found is 1634: George Wither, A collection of emblemes, ancient and moderne: quickenend with metrical illustrations, both morall and divine. Frontispiece by William Marshall and the emblem of Crispijn of the Passe.

Los Viernes de Cuaresma en Morelos

This winter the Mexican muralist, illustrator, and printmaker Sergio Sanchez Santamaria finished a portfolio of linocuts titled Cuaresma en la Region Cuautla, Morelos. Santamaria not only designed but also cut and printed the edition of 10 at his studio in Tlayacapan.

When the Graphic Arts Collection purchased copy 1/10, we also received the original printing block for plate 4, “Dedicado a la Santísima Virgen del Transito de la Capilla del Plan en Tlayacapan, lo curioso es que la virgin es del Pueblo de Tepoztlán pero ella decidió quedarse en Tlayacapan.”

In the state of Morelos, Mexico, there is a tradition of celebrating the six Friday’s before Easter, in a different town or village. This annual cycle of religious and trade fairs starts in Tlayacapan and then moves to Cuautla, Tepalcingo, Tepotzlan, Totolapan and back to Tlayacapan.

Santamaria has created eight bold linocuts depicting the celebrations. He has also written a short essay describing the different towns visited each Friday and noting their specific rituals.

Serio Sanchez Santamaria, Cuaresma en la Region Cuautla, Morelos (Tlayacapan [Mexico], 2015). Cover, colophon and eight linocuts, each signed and titled. Copy 1 of 10. Graphic Arts Collection GAX 2015- in process

Sergio Sanchez Santamaria studied at the great “La Esmeralda,” Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura, y Grabado in Mexico City, counting among his teachers, Alberto Beltrán, Francisco Moreno Capdevila and Adolfo Mexiac.

Buffalo Bill Cody

[Can you read the name?]

William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody (1846-1917) was an American scout, Pony Express rider, bison hunter, and showman. He opened Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show in 1883 and continued to perform these extravaganzas until he went bankrupt in 1913.

“His partner that first season was a dentist and exhibition shooter, Dr. W.F. Carver. Cody and Carver took the show, subtitled “Rocky Mountain and Prairie Exhibition,” across the country to popular acclaim and favorable reviews, launching a genre of outdoor entertainment that thrived for three decades and survived, in fits and starts, for almost three more. . . . In 1899, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West covered over 11,000 miles in 200 days giving 341 performances in 132 cities and towns across the United States. In most places, there would be a parade and two two-hour performances. Then the whole show would be struck, loaded, and moved overnight to the next town. Europeans (and their armies) were often as fascinated by the ingenuity and efficiency behind the scenes as they were by the show itself. Not many shows could match Buffalo Bill’s in scale, but all subscribed to similar regimens.” Wild West Shows: Buffalo Bill’s Wild West by Paul Fees

The Graphic Arts Collection holds three panoramic photographs of Cody’s Wild West shows, each inscribed “Terre Haute” on the verso. According to the Buffalo Bill Museum archive, different versions of the Wild West Show played in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1901, 1907, 1911, and 1913. One of these visits is depicted in these panoramic photographs. http://www.buffalobill.org/pdfs/buffalo_bill_visits.pdf .
We are also trying to make out the name of this Indiana photographer.
See also Helen Cody Wetmore, Last of the great scouts: the life story of Col. William F. Cody, “Buffalo Bill,” as told by his sister, Helen Cody Wetmore (Chicago: Duluth Press Pub. Co., 1899). Rare Books Off-Site Storage Rollins 3062

Lorenzo Homar’s poster art

A recent offer of Latin American posters led to a search of the Graphic Arts Collection’s 114 screen printed posters designed by the Puerto Rican artist Lorenzo Homar (1913-2004). From 1951 to 1956 Homar worked as a graphic artist and director of the Graphics Section of Division de Educación a la Comunidad (DivEdCo) and in 1957 organized the Graphic Arts Workshop at the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, which he directed until 1973.

“Earning my living as an artist-craftsman,” wrote Homar in 1960, “I try to honor my trade with the maximum of my efforts regardless of the type of work involved. A seal, an illustration or an idea for a painting or engraving; everything that happens around us is worthwhile looking at.”

Homar was one of the first designers profiled when the American Institute of Graphic Arts began their “design journeys” series in 2005. “Lorenzo Homar was a pivotal figure of the fields of design and plastic arts during the second part of the 20th century. While his artistic production encompassed a large number of works across an array of media, his largest contribution to Puerto Rican arts was through his posters and printed engravings. He was a leader behind the popularization and internalization of the afiche, a commemorative medium equivalent to the poster. As a graphic designer and artist, Homar served as a teacher, a mentor and an inspiration for a group of Puerto Rican artists who collectively became known as Generación del Cincuenta (Generation of the Fifties).” http://www.aiga.org/design-journeys-lorenzo-homar/

The posters, along with several hundred other drawings, prints, carved blocks, and other work has been digitized and can be enjoyed at: http://pudl.princeton.edu/collections/pudl0033 .

Update: previously listed as a poster, the following is a signed and numbered fine art print:

Lorenzo Homar (1913-2004), Quote from José de Diego (1866-1918), 1971. Serigraph. Signed and numbered 33/35. Graphic Arts Collection GA 2007.04022. “De la tormenta el iracundo empuje. No has de balar como el cordero triste, sino rugir,como la fiera ruge! ¡Levantate, Revuelvete, Resiste! ¡Haz como el toro acorralado: muge! ¡O como el toro que no muge : embiste!”

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