Among the many eminent and talented artists involved in the creation of illustrations for the wood-engraving resurgence of the 1860s, George John Pinwell emerged as perhaps the very best. A thorough review of Pinwell's art, especially his graphic oeuvre, highlights the extraordinary importance the popular graphic arts played in the development of nineteenth-century British realism. This book discusses Pinwell's relationship to the commercial and technical world of stylistic Victorian journalism and his works' thematic significance to Victorian art. Also discussed is the stylistic influence of John Everett Millais (1829-1896); Pinwell's relationship to other artists of his generation including Frederick Walker (1840-1875), Arthur Boyd Houghton (1836-1875), and John William North (1841-1924), as well as his legacy for the next generation of artist/illustrators including Luke Fildes (1844-1927), Hubert von Herkomer (1849-1914), and Frank Holl (1849-1914) - all contributing to a broader understanding of Pinwell's stylistic importance.
"A serious scholarly examination of the career of George John Pinwell, his place among the Idyllists, and his overall contributions to the history of Victorian illustration is long overdue. This book is a major antidote to this gap in Victorian studies. Readers will find many new and compelling insights, as well as affirmation of Pinwell's abilities as an illustrator, painter, and engraver. I highly recommend this book to all who want to rediscover the appeal and power of Victorian draughtsmanship and subject matter in works produced for now forgotten sources such as 'Once a Week', 'Good Words', 'The Cornhill Magazine', 'The Sunday Magazine', 'The Graphic', and sundry books created by the famous Dalziel publishing firm." (Susan P. Casteras, University of Washington)
"The publication of Pamela White Trimpe's book on the Victorian illustrator George John Pinwell is very welcome news. While the 1860s graphic work of John Millais, Frederick Walker, and others has received its fairshare of scholarly attention, that of Pinwell has been neglected despite the fact that he is one of the most original, creative, and at times lyrical illustrators during the wood engraving resurgence of the 1860s. Trimpe's admirable study also allows us to better understand the sources that inspired the important graphic work of the 1870s generation of painter/illustrators, Luke Fildes, Hubert von Herkomer, and Frank Holl." (Joseph Lamb, School of Art, Ohio University)
"The publication of Pamela White Trimpe's book on the Victorian illustrator George John Pinwell is very welcome news. While the 1860s graphic work of John Millais, Frederick Walker, and others has received its fairshare of scholarly attention, that of Pinwell has been neglected despite the fact that he is one of the most original, creative, and at times lyrical illustrators during the wood engraving resurgence of the 1860s. Trimpe's admirable study also allows us to better understand the sources that inspired the important graphic work of the 1870s generation of painter/illustrators, Luke Fildes, Hubert von Herkomer, and Frank Holl." (Joseph Lamb, School of Art, Ohio University)