By the 1830s there were various methods of illustration in use in children’s books,
which were now being produced in considerable quantity. The didactic books still led the
field, but there were also religious and moral tales, now often by named authors, and it
was certainly accepted that for the most part children’s books should be illustrated. The
earlier engraving had been done on copper-plate, which had a limited life. By the 1820s
onward, it was found that the use of steel plates gave longer runs, and so steel
engraving frequently took the place of copper in the more popular works, such as the
‘Keepsakes’ and gift books of the period. Though cheaper and longer lasting, steel
engraving had one disadvantage; it gave an appearance of coldness and lack of subtlety
to the illustrations where it was employed. Lithography, the invention of Alois Senefelder
at the end of the eighteenth century, was also used in children’s books, but less
frequently in Britain than on the European continent. It had the same disadvantage as
engraving, in that it too needed to go through the printing press separately from the
text, so that books illustrated by lithography were expensive and usually had far fewer
illustrations. There remained the woodcut, but by the 1830s the improved version of
white-line wood engraving pioneered by Thomas Bewick was almost universally used in
preference to the cruder woodcut. Thomas and his brother John had both themselves
illustrated children’s books, but it was in the 1830s and 1840s that their method of
engraving on wood became more widely used in children’s books.
The 1840s saw great developments in the field of children’s books, in content and in
production. Edward Lear’s Book of Nonsense, and the first translations of Hans
Andersen’s Fairy Tales both appeared in 1846. The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
had appeared with Cruikshank’s illustrations as early as 1823— 1826, although their
circulation was probably not widespread until later. But equally important for the
acceptance of nonsense and fairy tale in the nursery, was the advent of Henry Cole and
Joseph Cundall. Henry Cole was a man who had a finger in many pies baked in the mid-
nineteenth century, including such outstanding events as the Great Exhibition of 1851.
But he was also a father, and as such was appalled at the state of children’s books when
he came to provide them for his own family. Under the pseudonym ‘Felix Summerly’ he
instituted the Home Treasury series. In this he published fairy tales and nursery
rhymes, commissioning well known artists of the day, many of whom he knew
personally, to illustrate them. He also commissioned special covers for his books. Joseph
Cundall, with his interest in producing well-designed books, was the right man to work
with Henry Cole. Such productions should have been outstanding, but it must be
confessed that to modern eyes the Home Treasury series often appears somewhat dull.
The cover designs were based on various traditional arabesque patterns, taken from
older bindings, and were usually printed in gold on coloured paper, but they were not
eye-catching, especially for children. The illustrations were of good quality, relevant and
attractive—but (no doubt because of the cost) very few in number. These booklets were
certainly very tasteful productions, but left to themselves children do not necessarily
exhibit good taste, preferring a brightly coloured cover to a well-designed one.
Nevertheless, a precedent had been set by which all aspects of a book designed for
children should be given the same degree of attention previously allocated to adult
books. Moreover, Henry Cole’s standing ensured wide publicity for these new ideas—he
220 THE DEVELOPMENT OF ILLUSTRATED TEXTS AND PICTURE BOOKS