[Illustration: Our artist enjoying himself in the Highlands. * * * * “On fine hot days, I have this to carry on my back.”]
[Illustration: “On wet days, with my waterproof clothing, I am as comfortable as possible.”--_Extract from a Private Letter._]
[Illustration: “THE COMPLIMENTS OF THE (SKETCHING) SEASON.”
PAPA. There, Henry! If you could do like that, I’d have you _taught drawing_, my boy!]
RURAL CONNOISSEUR. He’s a p’intin’ two pictur’s at once, d’yer see? ’Blest if I don’t like that there little ’un as he’s got his thumb through, the best!]
SHIP-PAINTER. Nice dryin’ weather for our business, ain’t it, sir?
To artists who have big pictures returned on their hands:--“If you can’t live _by_ them, live _under_ them!”]
FIRST ARTIST. Who’ll be the next Academician?
SECOND ARTIST. Oh, Faddler, my dear fellow, unquestionably!
SECOND ARTIST. Oh, there’s no doubt about it! A very good fellow, you know, and he’s lived a long time at St. John’s Wood!]
FADSBY (_in agony; he’s a martyr to the decorative art of the nineteenth century_). Oh! Mrs. Grabbit--I really must--implore you--to remove those chimney ornam--ugh!--those two--fictile abominations--from this room while I remain he-ar!
[_Of all the artis’s, Mrs. Grabbit said, as she’d ever let her apartments to, he was the most partic’lar._]
STUMPY ARTIST (_to friend with a Government appointment and lots of time_). Come and see my picture; can’t you come in the daytime early? And look ’ere: do you know a tall, handsome, gentlemanly-looking fellow, with a light beard and moustache, who would sit to me for my Hungarian Chief?]
[Illustration: PLEASANT FOR JACK DAUBS, WHO IMAGINES THAT HIS DRAWINGS ARE RATHER TURNERESQUE.
FIRST ART CRITIC. I do b’lieve he’s a-painting the sky.
SECOND DITTO. Noa, he ain’t. He’s a-painting them people.
THIRD DITTO. Noa, he’s a-doing sommut out of his head.]
FIRST RUSTIC. ’Str’or’nary way o’ gettin’ yer livin’! Ain’t it, Joe?
SECOND DITTO. Aye, that ’t be, William. _Cripples_ o’ some sort, most on ’em, you may depend!]
Sketching on the Cornish coast, he has taken precautions against slipping over the rocks. Our artist is seen, from below, by the learned German Professor Longbauer, who, after he made the most of it in his _Travels_, described this incident as an instance of the cruel treatment of their political prisoners by the English Government!]