A Tale of Two Roberts

A TALE OF TWO ROBERTS

By Steve Holland

Robert Prowse (1826-1886 ) and Robert Prowse Junr. (1858- )

Born in Liverpool in 1826, the son of Richard (a lapidary) and his wife Elizabeth, Robert Prowse was a prolific artist for penny dreadfuls, rated amongst the best of the woodcut artists working in the field. His illustrations accompanied some of the most famous of the ‘dreadfuls’, including many of Edward Harrison's publications (The Blue Dwarf, Black Bess, Blueskin, etc.), Charley Wag, Fanny White and many of the novels from the Emmett family.

His earliest known artwork appeared in The Weekly Magazine (1860) and his illustrations accompanied a number of long-running serials in the London Herald including Percy B. St. John's ‘The Sailor Crusoe’ (Nov 1861-Jun 1862) and ‘Lealliwah, or the Valley of Cedars’ (from May 1862), engraved by Walter Gorway. Around the same time he was also illustrating ‘Ethel Grey, or Alone in the World’ by W. Stephens Hayward (Halfpenny Journal, 1861).

Prowse became one of the leading contributors to boys' adventure weeklies in the 1860s, contributing to Vicker's Boys' Journal, The Young Englishman's Journal (approx. 1867-73) where he illustrated many of George Emmett's famous stories, including the famous ‘Shot and Shell’ series and ‘Charity Joe’ -- and The Boys' Standard (1878).

Robert Prowse's brother Henry Prowse, born c.1821, was an engraver, who, I believe, died in 1873. His son, Henry (born 1851), was also an engraver.

Robert Prowse was married to Jane Anne Smith in Clerkenwell in 1858 and had seven children: Robert (1858), Jessy Jane (1860), Arthur (1862), Jane Adelaide (1864), Maud Elizabeth (1873), Grace Ethel (1876) and Frederick Ernest (1879). Jane Prowse was ten years his junior, and during his early artistic career the family lived in Clerkenwell, London EC, where four of their children were born (the last registered in Islington). The Prowses later moved to Battersea where a further three children were born. In the 1881 census the family was living at 80 Freke Road, Battersea, Surrey. The senior Robert Prowse died in 1886.

There has been some confusion over the years about Robert Prowse's long career, which seemed to extend into the 20th century. His work was usually signed “R.P.” which has led to some confusion over the years. There was a second Robert Prowse, the son of the penny dreadful artist, born in Clerkenwell in 1858. Prowse junior married Josephine Veillard in Wandsworth in 1878 and had thirteen children: Josephine (1880), Beatrice (1881), Robert (1883), Jessie J. (1884), Kate E. (1887), Richard M. (1889), Charles G. (1891), Tom (1894), Rene (1896), Albert E. (1898), Mildred A. (1899), Dorothy M. (1901) and Marjorie Adelaide (1903).

His earliest known work appeared under the byline R. Prowse Junr. In 1877 when he provided illustrations for The Vacant Throne! by Oswald Allan (London, E. Head, 1877) and Everybody's Christmas Annual whilst still in his late teens. He provided covers for a number of E. Harcourt Burrage's novels when they were published in the “Best for Boys” series in 1892-93.

It was around 1893 that Robert Prowse junior began his association with the Aldine Publishing Co., producing illustrations for their partwork publications of Burrage's The Lambs of Littlecote and The Island School amongst many other contributions. His illustrations appeared in Aldine's Garfield Boys' Journal (1894-95) and Aldine Cheerful Library (1894-95), and he worked for most of Aldine's library titles, becoming their main cover artist from the mid-1890s. His work can be found on Boys' First-Rate Pocket Library, Aldine Detective Tales, and Aldine Romance of Invention, Travel and Adventure Library in the 1890s. Probably his most famous covers were for the Aldine Robin Hood Library, and he continued to provide cover art for years to come, his last known work appearing on the Aldine Invention Library (1913) and Aldine Cinema Novels (1915).

Robert Prowse Junr. was living in Tottenham, Middlesex, in 1901 with his wife Josephine (born in Paris) and two children, Josephine and Beatrice, both born in Battersea. I'm still not sure when Robert Prowse Jr. died but my best suspect died in Romford, Essex, in 1934 aged 76. Unfortunately, there's no way of confirming this without a copy of the death certificate.

Illustrations by Robert Prowse Sr.

The Double Man; or, The Revelations of an Old Jailer. London, John Lofts, 1860?

Charley Wag, the New Jack Sheppard. London, United Kingdom Press, 1860.

The Blue Dwarf, by Lady Esther Hope. London, E. Harrison, 1861[1860-61].

Jessie, the Mormon's Daughter. A tale of English and American life. London, E. Harrison, 1861.

The Mysterious Man; or, The Three in One. London, Webbe, 1861.

Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road [by Edward Viles?]. London, E. Harrison, 1863.

Blueskin. A romance of the last century [by Edward Viles?]. London, E. Harrison, 1863.

The Women of London. Disclosing the trials and temptations of awoman's life in London, with occasional glimpses of a fast career [by Bracebridge Hemyng?]. London, George Vickers, 1863.

Fanny White and Her Friend Jack Rawlings. A romance of a young lady thief and a boy burglar. London, George Vickers, 1863.

The Boy Brigand; or, The Dark King of the Mountains. London, Henry Lea, 1864.

The Boy Rover; or, The Smuggler of the South Seas, by Lieutenant Parker. London, Henry Lea, 1864.

Gentleman Clifford, and his white mare Brilliant; or, The Ladies' Highwayman. London, E. Harrison, 1864.

The Life and Career of a London Errand Boy, by John Bennett. London, Henry Vickers, 1865.

Rose Mortimer; or, The Ballet-girl's Revenge. London, London Romance Co. [Newsagents' Publishing Co.], 1864.

Red Ralph; or, The Daughter of the Night, by Percival Wolfe. London, London Romance Co. [Newsagents Publishing Co.], 1865.

Wild Will; or The Pirates of the Thames, by Percival Wolfe. London, London Romance Co. [Newsagents Publishing Co.], 1865.

Hounslow Heath and its Moonlight Riders, by Julian St. George. London, London Romance Co., 1866.

The Mystery of Marlborough House. A tale of trial and temptation. London, E. Harrison, 1866.

The Sailor Crusoe, by Percy B. St. John. London, "London Herald", 1866.

The Black Highwayman [by Edward Viles?]. London, E. Harrison, 1869.

Robin Hood and the Outlaws of Sherwood Forest, [by George Emmett].London, Temple Publishing Co., 1869.

Dick the Diver; or, The London Treasure-seeker. London, T. Roberts,1870?

Union Jack. The British boy sailor, by Charlton. London, A. Ritchie, 1870?

Captain Tom Drake; or, England's Hearts of Oak. London, A. Ritchie,1870?

The Gipsy Boy; or, The Green Woods and Battle Fields. London, Edwin J. Brett, 1870 [1869-70].

Tom King and Jonathan Wild; or, The Days of Young Jack Sheppard. London, A. Ritchie, 1884.

Charity Joe; or, From Street Boy to Lord Mayor, by George Emmett. London, Hogarth House, 1885?

The War Cruise of the Mosca, by George Emmett. London, Hogarth House, 1885?

Illustrations by Robert Prowse Junr.

Ching-Ching’s Own, by E. Harcourt Burrage. London: W. Lucas, 1888 [covers].

Dashing Duval; or, The Ladies' Highwayman. London, Palmer & Co., 1889? [**].

Hal o' the Heath, the Wandering Heir, by E. H. Burrage. London, "Best for Boys" Publishing Co., 1892. [cover].

Lionel the Bold; or, The Circus Rider's Revenge, by E. H. Burrage. London, "Best for Boys" Publishing Co., 1892. [cover].

Jack Jaunty; or, Friend and Foe, by E. H. Burrage. London, "Best for Boys" Publishing Co., 1893. [cover].

The School of the Regiment; or, Life at Bangfire Barracks. London, Aldine Publishing Co., 1893.

The Lambs of Littlecote. A thrilling school story. London, Aldine Publishing Co., 1894-95. The first 13 numbers were illustrated by Harry Maguire, the rest by Prowse.

The Island School. A story of school life and adventure. London, Aldine Publishing Co., 3 vols. 1895-96.

Happy Jack, the Rover. London, Aldine Publishing Co., 1895.

Broad-Arrow Jack, by E. Harcourt Burrage. London, [Hogarth House?], 1897?

Dick Strongbow, the Diamond King, by E. Harcourt Burrage. London, [Hogarth House?], 1897?

Buffalo Bill Library. London: London: Aldine Publishing Co. [1^st series] 1897-1909, [2^nd series] 1909-1913, [3^rd series] 1912-1918, [4^th series] 1918-1932. All covers were by Prowse.

Buffalo Bill Novels. London: London: Aldine Publishing Co., 1901?

The Robin Hood Library. London: Aldine Publishing Co., 1901-1906.

The Dick Turpin Library. London: Aldine Publishing Co., 1902-1909.

The Claude Duval Library. London: Aldine Publishing Co., 1902-1906.

The Spring Heeled Jack Library. London: Aldine Publishing Co., March to September 1904, 12 numbers.

The Jack Sheppard Library. London: Aldine Publishing Co., 1904.

The Black Bess Library. London: Aldine Publishing Co., 1909-1910.

NOTES

[**] Dashing Duval is dated by James/Smith as ca 1875 but describes itself as the “most interesting and thrilling story ever presented to the boys of Albion.” The short-lived magazine, Boys of Albion was launched by Palmer in 1888, hence the likely date for Dashing Duval in 1889.

Owlet the Robber Prince

Owlet the Robber Prince; or, the Unknown Highwayman by Septimus R. Urban (real name James Malcolm Rymer), The New York Dime Library, no. 1068, Jan. 1903, J. M. Ivers & Co., James Sullivan, proprietor. The original American printing of this tale was in Beadle’s American Tales number 77 back in 1871. Next Beadle & Adams published it in The New York Dime Library number 166 in 1881. The only other known title under the pseudonym Septimus R. Urban was The Little Middy; or, Picked up Adrift published in New York in the Camp-Fire Library number 26 in 1888.

Owlet is described after a highway robbery as “not human but bore an exact resemblance to an owl.”

“An owl your majesty - a green- a sickly green sort of colour was over it. And the feathers, and beak, and eyes, were perfectly and exactly, those of an owl of very large size …”

Owlet is a mysterious work by Rymer which I have been unable to trace in a British penny dreadful. It may have originally been serialized in some weekly story paper. I’m sure the artist is British artist Robert Prowse Senior, which is also strange because Beadle and crew never used British artists as far as I know.

A similar owl-masked villain appears in Blueskin as a minor character named Captain Howlet, and the owl illustration is also the work of Prowse, although not one of his best (see below). Blueskin: A Romance of the Last Century was by the author of “Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road” &c., illustrated by Robert Prowse and others, London: Edward Harrison, according to an advertisement published on 2 Aug 1863. Blueskin has been attributed to Edward Viles, but, based on a close reading, my theory is that the author of Blueskin was James Malcolm Rymer.

The Elizabethan era highwayman Gamaliell Ratsey was also said to wear the headdress of an owl or bird when robbing coaches. Ratsey’s tale probably influenced Rymer’s Owlet, who, at the end of the thrilling romance, turns out to be the rightful heir to the throne of England.

Wild Will

Wild Will; Or, the Pirates of the Thames, By Percival Wolfe was published for the London Romance Company by News-Agents Publishing Company limited about 1865. It was a short PD in twelve 8 page penny numbers illustrated by Robert Prowse Sr. Wild Will carried on from Red Ralph; Or, The Daughter of Night A Romance of the Road In the Days of Dick Turpin, also by Percival Wolfe, published for the London Romance Company by the News-Agents' Publishing Company limited, 147 Fleet Street. Red Ralph ran about a year to a total of 412 pages.

There was no sign of Red Ralph in the sequel but the illustrations by Robert Prowse were stunning. Prowse was a giant. Perhaps the publishers hoped that Wild Will would emulate the success of Red Ralph. It ends rather suddenly with Wild Will captured by cannibals, rescued by the English and sent back to Britain in chains to be hung. "Alas poor Will! What greatness might he not have achieved had his talent and energies been
better applied?"

The ending is ambiguous;

"Jack Ketch, though well nigh frightened out of his wits, had sense enough to ply his hateful trade, and suddenly the combatants became conscious that Wild Will was swinging in the air. With one last tremendous effort a party of roughs broke through the soldiers, scrambled up and cut the rope."

There it ends. Either they were leaving room for a sequel or more probably low sales caused the publishers to order a quick halt to what promised to be a great tale. A copy
of "Wild Will" held by Indiana University has a note that Percival Wolfe is the pseudonym of Charles Henry Ross. On 1 Feb 1868 The Bookseller noted:

“Mr. C. H. Ross, described as a clerk, residing in Surrey Street, Strand, applied for his order of discharge from debts of £1008. The bankrupt stated that he was in receipt of a salary of £310 a year; he also earned about £120 a year as a writer for the periodical press, but he was in such delicate health that his medical man had forbidden him to further exercise his literary talents. Offered to set aside £50 a year. Ultimately the case went off, on an application for additional accounts.”