Punch (90.1886)

Jan™ 9, 1886.] PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. 13

GRIST TO THE MILLAIS wBr^mmtt^L'mS^WM AT THE GROSVENOR.

IBs

No. 2. The Ruling Passion; or, The Last i^^HBHBWf^^^ WB iM^W^ No. 20. "Fife to Four—on the Field.'/ Some critics

Days of an Old Lo'wther Arcadian. "As a V^^illlMSBr^W\IT"1-^^f^^^^RfJv are °f opinion that this at the time it appeared had

child he had been remarkably fond of dolls ; 'WjjJ^gr imJ'Kj ^j]l^^^rf1 t a secret sporting meaning'. Notice the section of

as an old man the taste of his early days _~_^^-n^*1 "^m^MSSk^ *A^/''^t 4- drum in the corner : "not too much^drum, but just

returned to him."—Memoirs of Dr. Dol- U^vv. ImSS^SS* " " ^ dnim enough." All artists agree that such a drum

linger. b*-^," would be very hard to beat.

No. 6. The Iiug-me-not drop me ; or, The One-
legged Lover. It was this picture that first
gave the painter a log up.

No.46 Mr. Gladstone's Overture to Lord fW^^^fe^^v-1 No. 88. - Pigeon Pic is very nice."

Salisbury on the Irish Harr,. Observe V \ mi^M^;. Two Dutch girls find themselves left

the colour of the gown ; by it the artist ~~-~--' - alone without anything to eat, except

meant to convey that the G. 0. M. was No. 60. " Bum ? What's she been putting in the bottle ? " this bird. They are consulting on the

either very ready, or deeply read. For Two figures. She is reading aloud some of Mr. Punch's best means of cooking it.

further hiformation on the subject, " Beceipts for Nightcaps," and he is considerably exer-

apply to Sir John Millais, Bart. cised by the peculiarly nasty flavour of his evening grog.

No. 65. Getting into Bed with his
Boots on. Closer inspection will show
what the painter really intended. It
will well repay a second visit; but seen
when the electric light was shining
"like winking," this was our first
momentary impression of the subject.

No. 94. " Afternoon Tay in Scotland."
The Highlander in the foreground is
asking the girl jestingly to clean his
boots; the Lowlander in the distance
has his eye on the afternoon Tay, which
in this part of the country is quite an
institution.

The 3VLellais-nhjm.—Labor omnia vmcit may well be Sir John
JIIllais' motto, for if

ever pictures were "laboured" it was these
early ones of his, painted in the Paint-pot-of-Basil period. The pic-
ture oi the Highlander and the Seated Highlander, so far oft as to be
a Lowlander shows indifferently well in the collection. As for the
Holy Family " it is a " Wholly British Workman Family," exqui-
sitely painted, of course; but excepting one figure there is not an
Hebraic type among them. A picture in the corner representing two
ugly Hutch girls fondling a pigeon, which presumably they are going
to have m a pie, suggests that the title might be "Parting is such
Pam, and is about as uninteresting a subject as can well be imagined

—except perhaps to a gentleman with a British-MuseuinislfGHMmrs
towards pigeons; but as a work characteristic of the " undecided'phase
in Millais' Art-career,".it is full of interest, asindeed'is almostevery
picture in the Grosvenor Gallery. The old public favourites are as fresh
as ever, and the meeting between Sir John and his '' Huguenots" after
a separation of thirty years, was,'we are informed, a most touching
sight. The electric light, toned by a'medium, is, after the first ten.
minutes of jerkiness,—for it is a bad starter, not that anyone would
think this from its manner of starting,—very pleasant for the eyes;
but it is a pity it cannot be made to " hold its noise." The show will
be one of the successes of the Winter Season.

VOL. xc.

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