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The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club

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Charles Dickens

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club by Charles Dickens was originally published by the London publishing house Chapman and Hall in twenty monthly parts, and the first installment appeared in April 1836. The artist Robert Seymour had been commissioned to produce four etchings per issue; as one of the leading illustrators and caricaturists of the day, and illustrations being at least as popular, if not more so, than the written word to a large illiterate population, Seymour had many commissions from other publishers. The pressure of work became too great, (etching was an extraordinarily laborious process, see below) and tragically Seymour committed suicide after completing just seven illustrations for Pickwick Papers.
These seven prints from the original etchings are shown here, where Seymour established the shape, size and appearance of Mr. Pickwick and his friends. (Seymour originally conceived Pickwick as tall and thin). The text beneath is the relevant passage from Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens.

THE PRINTS

The prints are produced using the Giclée printing process, which delivers a fine stream of archival quality inks resulting in exceptional detail suitable for museum or gallery display. This art print is produced on a heavy, off-white 310 gsm, soft textured natural paper, which has a specially formulated coating affording high density and detail. The visual quality of the print is extremely high and rivals traditional silver-halide and gelatin printing processes. The print can have a light-fast life expectancy of 100 to 200 years, comparable or better than other collectible artwork and therefore commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.

Images shown here are low resolution samples

Each Giclée print is mounted in an 8" x 10" frame, with a choice of beech, birch, black, silver or gold.

To choose a print, simply click the Add to Cart button for the relevant print/s, and your order will be processed using PayPal. You do not need to have a PayPal account.

Upon receipt of your order, your print/s will be dispatched by Royal Mail Special Delivery.

Please allow seven days for delivery. If you encounter any problems, please call +44 (0)1235 861940.


The price of each Giclée print, mounted and framed is £75. Plus post and packing.

Other Print sizes are available. Call +44 (0)1235 861940,

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Mr. Pickwick Addresses the Club
Robert Seymour 1836

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The Pugnacious Cabman
Robert Seymour 1836

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The Sagacious Dog
Robert Seymour 1836

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Dr. Slammer's Defiance of Jingle
Robert Seymour 1836

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The Dying Clown
Robert Seymour 1836

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Mr. Pickwick in Chase of his Hat
Robert Seymour 1836

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Mr. Winkle Soothes the Refractory Steed
Robert Seymour 1836

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Special Offer

  
Buy all seven of Robert Seymour's original Pickwick Papers Prints, framed in the finish of your choice, for the special price of £350 (plus post and packing).
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ETCHING AND ENGRAVING
The method of preparing an etched plate was painstaking in the extreme. First the artist would prepare the illustration in either pencil or ink, and then re-draw the picture in reverse on to a steel plate, and etch the lines with an etching needle, so that an inked impression taken from the plate would appear like the original sketch. Later steel plates were replaced by wood, (engraving) when the artist would either draw directly onto the wood, or draw a sketch and ‘rub it down’ on to the wood, then use engraving tools to create the lines.

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Halbôt Knight Browne (Phiz)

After Seymour’s untimely death, the publishers commissioned R.W. Buss to provide the illustrations, reduced now to two per issue of The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. In the event Buss, an artist of real merit, but quite unfamiliar with the art of etching, produced two illustrations of very poor quality, which were quickly suppressed. In his place, a 21 year old apprentice line-engraver Halbôt Knight Browne, using the pseudonym Phiz, provided two plates for each of the remaining seventeen issues, and continued to be associated with Charles Dickens for the next twenty three years illustrating ten more novels, culminating with The Tale of Two Cities in 1859.

Each of the illustrations by Phiz for The Pickwick Papersare shown here.

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The Fat Boy Awake Again

Hablôt Knight Browne (Phiz) - 1836

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Mr. Wardle and his Friends under the Influence of the Salmon
Hablôt Knight Browne (Phiz) - 1836

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The Break Down

Hablôt Knight Browne (Phiz) - 1836

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First Appearance of
Mr. Samuel Weller
Hablôt Knight Browne (Phiz) - 1836

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Mrs. Bardell Faints in
Mr. Pickwick's Arms

Hablôt Knight Browne (Phiz) - 1836

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The Election at Eatanswill

Hablôt Knight Browne (Phiz) - 1836

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Mrs. Leo Hunter's
Fancy Dress Dejeuner

Hablôt Knight Browne (Phiz) - 1836

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The Unexpected Breaking Up
of the Seminary Ladies
1Hablôt Knight Browne (Phiz) - 1836

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Mr. Pickwick in the Pound

Hablôt Knight Browne (Phiz) - 1836

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Mr. Pickwick and Sam in
the Attorney’s Office

Hablôt Knight Browne (Phiz) - 1836

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The Last Visit of Heyling
to the Old Man
Hablôt Knight Browne (Phiz) - 1836

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The Middle-Aged Lady in the
Double-Bedded Room
Hablôt Knight Browne (Phiz) - 1836

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