class="x-ebookmaker-pageno" title="[Pg 2]"/> and produced works selected from all parts of England, Wales, and Scotland. Birket Foster was especially partial to the Northern counties and the district surrounding his native town in Northumberland. His rambles were not confined solely to his own country; he travelled frequently on the Continent; Venice, as well as the Rhine, had its charms for him. The picturesque scenery of Brittany has also been portrayed by his brush, and on one occasion he went as far as Spain and Morocco in pursuit of his art.

Birket Foster, as he is generally known, or Myles Birket Foster, to give him his full name, was born at North Shields on February 4, 1825. His ancestors held good social positions for many generations in the North Country, and were staunch members of the Society of Friends. One, Sarah Forster, as the family name was originally spelt, married a descendant of Margaret Fell of Swathmoor Hall, who, after the death of her first husband, Judge Fell, was united to George Fox, the founder of the Quakers.

In 1830 the artist's father migrated with his family to London, voyaging all the way by sea. He took up his residence at 40 Charlotte Street, Portland Place, and founded the well-known firm of M. B. Foster and Sons.

Quitting school at an early age, young Birket Foster was at first placed in his father's business; but, owing to an accident, he did not remain long in that position.

As the youth showed a decided tendency towards art, his father consulted a Mr. Stone, a die-engraver, with whom he had a slight acquaintance, and it was arranged that the son should be apprenticed to him. Before, however, the articles of apprenticeship could be signed, Mr. Stone unfortunately committed suicide. In his dilemma the father next sought the assistance of a fellow-townsman, Ebenezer Landells, who at that time had established his reputation as a wood-engraver. He offered to take the boy into his business to see whether the work would suit him. The offer was accepted, and the day on which Birket Foster entered Landells' office may be said to be the commencement of his artistic career.

In 1841 Landells, in conjunction with Henry Mayhew, Mark Lemon, and others, started Punch. Most of the early woodcuts for this publication were produced in Landells' office; Birket Foster was employed to draw and cut numerous initial letters, and on one occasion he was entrusted to make a full-page political cartoon representing Lord John Russell as Jack Sheppard.

When The Illustrated London News was commenced by Herbert Ingram in 1842, Landells was engaged to produce many of the illustrations, and Birket Foster was employed by him in making drawings for them. This he continued to do for many years after he left Landells' establishment. The most characteristic works of Birket Foster for this periodical were the charming engravings which appeared in the musical supplements and the Christmas numbers. He also made many drawings for The Illustrated London Almanack for 1848 and subsequent years.

At this period our artist was greatly sought after by publishers to execute pencil drawings for wood-engravings for books, and from the year 1847 to 1863 more than eighty different volumes, produced by various firms, were illustrated by dainty engravings after his drawings.

After the year 1858 Birket Foster practically abandoned the drawing on wood-blocks, and devoted himself almost entirely to water-colour painting. He received little or no instruction in the art, and in later years, when he was frequently pestered by persons asking him to give them lessons in painting, he used to say that he never received any lessons, so he never gave them, believing the best instruction to be obtained from studying the great masters. He was a profound admirer of Turner and Clarkson Stanfield, and it is probable that he was more influenced by the latter's