"Mr. Winkle as a Horseman" — Harry Furniss's ninth regular illustration for Dickens's "Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club" (1910)

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Mr. Winkle as a Horseman

Harry Furniss

1910

14.4 cm x 9.7 cm (5 ½ inches by 3 ¾ inches), vignetted

Tenth regular illustration for Dickens's Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, The Charles Dickens Library Edition, The horse no sooner beheld Mr. Pickwick advancing towards him, with the chaise whip in his hand, than he exchanged the rotary motion in which he had previously indulged for a retrograde movement of a very determined character — Pickwick, p. 64 [facing].

[Click on image to enlarge it.]

Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham.

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Passage Illustrated: The Great Sportsman's Ineptitude Once Again Revealed

‘What am I to do?’ shouted Mr. Winkle, after the dodging had been prolonged for a considerable time. ‘What am I to do? I can’t get on him.’

‘You had better lead him till we come to a turnpike,’ replied Mr. Pickwick from the chaise.

‘But he won’t come!’ roared Mr. Winkle. ‘Do come and hold him.’

Mr. Pickwick was the very personation of kindness and humanity: he threw the reins on the horse’s back, and having descended from his seat, carefully drew the chaise into the hedge, lest anything should come along the road, and stepped back to the assistance of his distressed companion, leaving Mr. Tupman and Mr. Snodgrass in the vehicle.

The horse no sooner beheld Mr. Pickwick advancing towards him with the chaise whip in his hand, than he exchanged the rotary motion in which he had previously indulged, for a retrograde movement of so very determined a character, that it at once drew Mr. Winkle, who was still at the end of the bridle, at a rather quicker rate than fast walking, in the direction from which they had just come. Mr. Pickwick ran to his assistance, but the faster Mr. Pickwick ran forward, the faster the horse ran backward. There was a great scraping of feet, and kicking up of the dust; and at last Mr. Winkle, his arms being nearly pulled out of their sockets, fairly let go his hold. The horse paused, stared, shook his head, turned round, and quietly trotted home to Rochester, leaving Mr. Winkle and Mr. Pickwick gazing on each other with countenances of blank dismay. A rattling noise at a little distance attracted their attention. They looked up. [Chapter V, "A short one — showing, among other matters, how Mr. Pickwick undertook to drive, and Mr. Winkle to ride; and how they both did it," 64]

Commentary: An Irresistible Scene

Furniss certainly did not lack for precedents for this scene, but seems to have relied upon Seymour's 1836 illustration rather than Phiz's 1837 and Household Edition (1874) illustration of Winkle's and Pickwick's ineptitude in dealing with the runaway horse. Since they are city-dwellers, their equestrian knowledge is limited, and the horse seems very much in control of the situation. In the illustration, Pickwick (right rear) appears to be coming to Winkle's rescue, as the horse defies the panicked Winkle in the left foreground. Owing to the layout of the composition, the viewer has difficulty identifying the figures in carriage as Tupman and Snodgrass. What the illustrator has missed is Winkle's sympathy for the "poor fellow" (64), and of course Pickwick's utterly failing to redeem Winkle.

Parallel Scenes by Robert Seymour (1836) and Phiz (1874)

Left: Robert Seymour's May 1836 serial illustration of the same scene: Mr. Winkle soothes the refractory steed. Right: Phiz's Household Edition version of the same moment, with a much fuller caption: The horse no sooner beheld Mr. Pickwick advancing towards him with the chaise whip in his hand, etc. [Click on the images to enlarge them.]

Parallel Scenes by Thomas Onwhyn (1837) and Thomas Nast (1873)

Left: Thomas Onwhyn's "extra" illustration complements the Seymour plate: "T'other side, sir, if you please'.". (30 May 1837), which Furniss may not have seen, and likewise another illustration to which he probably did not have access, Nast's "Bless my soul!" exclaimed the agonized Mr. Pickwick, "there's the other horse running away!" (1873). [Click on the images to enlarge them.]

Various Interpretations of Nathaniel Winkle, 1836 to 1874

Related Material

Other artists who illustrated this work, 1836-1910

Bibliography

Davis, Paul. Charles Dickens A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Checkmark and Facts On File, 1999.

Dickens, Charles. Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Illustrated by Hablot Knight Browne ("Phiz"). The Authentic Edition. London: Chapman and Hall, 1901 [rpt. of the 1868 volume, based on the 30 May 1857 volume].

_____. Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Illustrated by Thomas Nast. The Household Edition. 16 vols. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1873. Vol. 4.

_____. Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Illustrated by Hablot Knight Browne ('Phiz'). The Household Edition. 22 vols. London: Chapman and Hall, 1874. Vol. 5.

_____. Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Illustrated by Harry Furniss. The Charles Dickens Library Edition. 18 vols. London: Educational Book, 1910. Vol. 2.

Created 5 April 2024