Harry Furniss

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Harry Furniss (March 26, 1854-January 14, 1925) was an artist and illustrator, born in Wexford, Ireland. His father was English and his mother Scottish, Furniss identifying himself as English. He was educated in Wesley College.

His first job as an illustrator was for the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, and when it was purchased by the owner of the The Illustrated London News he moved to that magazine. There he produced illustrations of social events such as the Boat Race, Goodwood and even the annual fancy dress ball at Brookwood Asylum, as well as acting as a special correspondent reporting on less pleasant aspects of life in contemporary England. The following extract from his autobiography gives due warning that his illustrations should not always be thought of as being produced by a witness to the events depicted.

One boat race, for example, is very much like another. Some years ago I executed a panoramic series of sketches of the University Race from start to finish, and as they were urgently wanted, the drawings had to be sent in the same day. Early in the morning, before the break of fast, I found myself at Putney, rowing up to Mortlake, taking notes of the different points on the way — local colour through a fog. Getting home before the Londoners started for the scene, I was at work, and the drawings — minus the boats — were sent in shortly after the news of the race.

After some years Furniss moved to The Graphic, initially writing and illustrating a series of supplements titled "Life in Parliament", and he comments that "from this time forward it would be difficult to name any illustrated paper with which I have not at sometime or other been connected".

His most famous humorous drawings were published in Punch,for which he started working in 1880, and to which he contributed over 2,600 drawings. He left Punch in 1894 when its owners discovered that he had sold one of his 'Punch' drawings to Pears Soap for use in an advertising campaign.

He illustrated Lewis Carroll's novel Sylvie and Bruno in 1889 and Sylvie and Bruno Concluded in 1893 but found working with the author difficult and found excuses so as not to have to collaborate with him again.

On leaving Punch Furniss brought out his own humorous magazine Like Joka, but when this failed he moved to America where he worked as an actor in the fledgling film industry and where, in 1914, he pioneered the first animated cartoon film for Thomas Edison.

His two-volume autobiography, titled The Confessions of a Caricaturist was published in 1902.

Furniss was also editor of the illustrated series Famous Crimes Past and Present and author of a number of books including Some Victorian Men and Some Victorian Women.