Hablot Knight Browne

Illustrator, born in London, UK. He was apprenticed to a line engraver, but soon took to etching and watercolour painting, and gained a medal from the Society of Arts for an etching of ‘John Gilpin’ (1833). In 1836 he became illustrator of The Pickwick Papers, and maintained his reputation by his designs for other works by Dickens.

Hablot Knight Browne (June 11, 1815 - July 8, 1882), English artist, famous as Phiz, the illustrator of the best-known books by Charles Dickens, Charles Lever and Harrison Ainsworth in their original editions. As an interpreter and illustrator of Dickens's characters, "Phiz," as he always signed his drawings, was in some respects the equal of his rivals Cruikshank and Leech, while, in his own way, he excelled them both. Browne was apprenticed to Finden, the eminent engraver on steel, in whose studio he obtained his only artistic education.

In the spring of 1836, he met Charles Dickens. Dickens knew Browne slightly as the illustrator of his little pamphlet Sunday under Three Heads, and probably this slight knowledge of his work stood the draughtsman in good stead.

Browne and WM Thackeray called independently at the publishers office with specimens of their powers for Dickens's inspection. Brownes first two etched plates for Pickwick were signed "Nemo," but the third was signed "Phiz," a pseudonym which was retained in future. When asked to explain why he chose this name he answered that the change from "Nemo" to "Phiz" was made to harmonize better with Dickens's "Boz." Possibly Browne adopted it to conceal his identity, hoping one day to become famous as a painter.

"Phiz" undoubtedly created Sam Weller, so far as his well-known figure is concerned, as Seymour had created Pickwick. Dickens and "Phiz" were personally good friends in early days, and in 1838 travelled together to Yorkshire to see the schools of which Nicholas Nickleby became the hero; The other Dickens characters which "Phiz" realized most successfully are perhaps Squeers, Micawber, Guppy, Major Bagstock, Mrs Gamp, Tom Pinch and, above all, David Copperfield.

Of the books by Dickens which Phiz illustrated the best are David Copperfield, Pickwick, Dombey and Son, Martin Chuzzlewit and Bleak House. Browne made several drawings for Punch in early days and also towards the end of his life;

In addition to his work for Dickens, Phiz illustrated over twenty of Lever's novels (the most successful being Harry Lorrequer, Charles O'Malley, Jack Hinton and the Knight of Gwynne). Browne was in continual employment by publishers until 1867, when he had a stroke of paralysis.

Most of Browne's work was etched on steel plates because these yielded a far larger edition than copper. Browne was annoyed at some of his etchings being transferred to stone by the publishers and printed as lithographic reproductions partly with the view to prevent this treatment of his work he employed a machine to rule a series of lines over the plate in order to obtain what appeared to be a tint; The illustrations executed by Browne are particularly noteworthy because they realized exactly what the reader most desired to see represented.

Authorities

D Croal Thomson, Hablot Knight Browne, Phiz: Life and Letters (London, 1884) John Forster, Life of Charles Dickens (London, 1871-1874) FG Kitton, Phiz: A Memoir (London, 1882) Charles Dickens and his Illustrators (London, 1899) MH Spielmano, The History of Punch (London, 1895). Valerie Browne Lester, "Phiz: The Man Who Drew Dickens" (London, 2004)

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.