Lines in themselves, as well as nature’s forms, may be used. This “L” is little more than a repetition of Arabic design; again in our example of Holbein’s book-cover design we see an echo of Moorish and Grolier designing, which were Arabic in character.
Like the former initial “L,” this one depends upon lines for its ornamentation. These are curved lines instead of straight ones, and where, as in the upper part, it resembles the Holbein cover, it is in a measure Moorish; but where, as along■
Designed and engraved on wood by the Beggarstaff Brothers.
Showing a clever use of silhouette and outline, with appropriate Old English lettering. One of the most harmonious designs we publish.]
■{ 220} the letter L, the curves have a knot at each end, one longer than the other, the design is based upon the Rococo, which is often used in modern illustration, when lightness and irregularity are required. The French illustrator Maurice Leloir, in his decorations of some eighteenth century books, Such as “Sterne’s Sentimental Journey,” used it advantageously.
Living forms may be substituted for lines, and the ingenious combination of the figure and its shadows in this specimen suggests a method of construction which is often used by designers. The sky in this little cut is nicely engraved, and could serve as a good exercise for one who had been practicing wood cutting a month or two.
Leaving out the initial, a little rectangular cut like the foregoing makes an effective introduction to a paragraph, and again suggests practice in wood engraving.
All the cuts illustrating this chapter, except the Holbein, are taken from numbers of the French journal, _L’Artist_, published between 1861 and 1868, and they represent a method of designing in vogue during those years and as far back as 1830, and as late as 1870. The initials were doubtless originally designed for a special purpose, so that the subject related to the text, but later on cuts■
{ 221} [Illustration: PEN DRAWING BY PENLICK.
The legend reads: “Our Soldiers. Machin, the staff officer, the terror of the soldier, doesn’t joke with the rules and regulations; has risen from the rank and file; a very useful individual; it’s always Machin here and Machin there, ask Machin. He terrorizes the one-year volunteers, whom he treats as young shoots (literal translation beets); an old bachelor to the core.”]