International studio (16.1902)

American Press Illustrators


First pencil sketch for the drawing shown below drawn by v. h. baily


’nfluence upon public taste can hardly be esti-
mated. Drawing under great pressure, amid the
c°nfusing and distracting bustle and hurry of a
Newspaper office, the results show how acutely
they feel their responsibilities to art and to
the public.
Each man of the staff is a specialist in some
'he—portrait, society, yachting, naval, military,
sPort, or humour, and must also, if needs be,
s"ddenly fill the place of one of his fellow-
"'Qrkers, and make presentable drawings of any
the enormous range of subjects with which
‘' newspaper deals, often under most trying con-
'tions. If called .from his bed at midnight, he
§°es with all possible speed, and gathers the data
pessary to accurately illustrate some railway
faster, fire, or shipwreck, miles away from town,

and not only procures all the information he may
need, but does so quickly and returns to his office
in time to make a finished drawing to fill a
previously allotted space in the “ make-up,” which
must be completed in a specified time determined
by the hour of going to press.
Some of the adventures of these “ knights or
the sketch-book ” are indeed exciting, and their
exploits are often varied with much danger,
humour, or pathos.
This, however, is not the only side of the artist’s
life in such work. Where possible, all approaching
events are carefully plotted out and assigned,
sometimes days in advance, the staff man carefully
thinking out and arranging previously collected
data for the drawing. In some cases the
drawing can be nearly completed in advance,
as in the instance of a public meeting, where
among a large mass of people there are some
central and important features. The crowd of
people, the interior of the building, or, if in the
open, a possible background of buildings, can be
drawn in advance, and at the final moment, the
artist, with a few quick pencil strokes, seizes
the characteristics of the face, figure and gesture
of the person or persons who are the centre of
interest in such a scene. Then, hurrying back to
his desk, the drawing is frequently finished,
engraved, and running on the press before the
function is over.

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