Don't Move, from "The Graphic" Christmas Number

Small was considered the most successful illustrator of his time. Born and trained in Scotland, he moved to London in 1865 and exhibited oils and watercolors at the Royal Acadmey and Royal Institution. He designed wood engravings for "Once a Week", "Good Words" and "The Graphic," and illustrated Thomas Hardy's "Jude the Obscure" (the author treasured the original drawings). This large color print reproduces a charming family subject, selected by "The Graphic" as a bonus issued to subscribers at Christmas in 1884. The black painted side chair held by the girl, lacquered cabinet and porcelains all reflect Japoniste-Aesthetic taste of the period. The father's uniform connects him to the infantry, perhaps the Duke of Wellington's regiment. Large colored wood engravings such as this were made using multiple blocks and required careful printing. They were, as a result, expensive to produce.