John
Tenniel, the son of a dancing-master, was born in London
in 1820. Tenniel attended the Royal Academy
but left in disgust at the quantity of teaching he received. When
Tenniel was sixteen he began having his paintings exhibited at the
Suffolk Street Galleries. He was soon recognised as a talented artist
and he received several commissions, including the production of a
fresco for the House of Lords.
Tenniel had some cartoons accepted by Punch
Magazine and one showing Lord John
Russell as David with his sword of truth attacking Cardinal Wiseman,
as the Roman Catholic Goliath, upset
Richard Doyle so much that he left the magazine.
Mark Lemon, the editor, decided to replace
Doyle with Tenniel and in December, 1850, he became a staff cartoonist
with Punch. At first Tenniel was reluctant to take the post arguing
that he was more concerned with "High Art". He also doubted
his ability to produce humourous cartoons. He asked one friend: "Do
they suppose that there is anything funny about me?"
John Tenniel gradually took over from John Leech
as the producer of the main political cartoon in the magazine. Tenniel
was a Tory and some of his cartoons upset
radicals on the staff such as Douglas Jerrold.
Tenniel denied being political prejudice and claimed that "if
I have my own little politics, I keep them to myself, and profess
only those of the paper".
Tenniel, who was blind in one eye, had a photographic memory and never
used models or photographs when drawing. Where possible, he arranged
meetings with the leading politicians so that he could obtain a close
look at the subjects of his drawings. On one occasion he was invited
to 10 Downing Street to study the face of William
Gladstone. Tenniel later claimed that Gladstone disapproved of
the way he was portrayed and he was "not honoured again".
Tenniel, was was a strong opponent of parliamentary reform, gave Gladstone
a hard time during the debate over the 1867 Reform
Act.
The Conservative Party was grateful
for the support John Tenniel had given them and the Marquis
of Salisbury, the Prime Minister, decided to grant him a knighthood.
However, before it could be announced, the Conservatives lost power.
William Gladstone, the leader of the
Liberal Party, became new Prime Minister,
had obviously forgiven Tenniel and agreed to let him have his knighthood.
As well as working on Punch, Tenniel
worked as a book illustrator. He is best known for the illustrations
that he did for Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures
in Wonderland (1865) and Through
the Looking Glass (1872). Tenniel was replaced by Bernard
Partridge as chief cartoonist on the journal in 1901. Sir
John Tenniel died in 1914.
John
Tenniel, Punch Magazine, William
Gladstone and the Irish Land Question (1870)
(1)
John Tenniel was interviewed about his work in April, 1889.
I carry out my work thus: I never use models or nature for the figure,
drapery or anything else. But I have a wonderful memory of observation
- not for dates, but anything I see I remember. Well, I get my subject
on Wednesday night; I think it out carefully on Thursday, and make
my rough sketch; on Friday morning I begin, and stick to it all day,
with my nose well down on the block. By means of tracing-paper I transfer
my design to the wood and draw on that. Well, the block being finished,
it is handed over to Swain's boy (Joseph Swain was the engraver) at
about 6.30 to 7 o'clock, who has been waiting for it for an hour or
so, and at 7.30 it is put in hand for engraving. That is completed
on the following night, and on Monday night I receive by post the
copy of next Wednesday's paper. Although I have never the courage
to open the packet. I always leave it to my sister, who opens it and
hands it across to me, when I just take a glance at it, and receive
my weekly pang.
(2)
M. H. Spielmann wrote about John Tenniel's work in 1895.
Sir John Tenniel had dignified the political cartoon into a classic
composition, and has raised the art of politico-humourous draughtsmanship
into the relative position of the lampoon to that of polished satire
- swaying parties and peoples, too, and challenging comparison with
the higher (at times it might almost be said the highest) efforts
of literature in that direction.
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