Page 52 - Studio International - April 1968

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HE FIRST ISSUE of The Studio, a lvlagazine of Fine and Applied
Art, came out in April I 893: monthly, price 6d; 8d in its
second year. It had a cover by Beardsley: this was expur­
gated, as he might have expected, for the usual reason: his
faun was too phallic. Haldane Macfall was to write, in 1928:
'The Studio was no particular success, far less any article in it.
Tom, Dick and Harry did not understand it; were not inter­
ested greatly in the arts and crafts .... It was only in our little
narrow literary and artistic circle-and a very narrow inner
circle at that-where The Studio caused any talk and Beardsley
interested not very excitedly.' 1
Macfall openly despised Morris and Art and Crafts; yet a check on
contemporary papers for notices of this new magazine confirms his
witness.
No figures for circulation have come to light, or for main areas of
distribution, or anything really reliable for the circumstances of the
foundation or direction in its first, crucial, five years. And in so far as
there is a received opinion about this, it is rather doubtful. Three
men were involved. C. Lewis Hind, Charles Holme, Gleeson White.
Two photographic studies
by Baron Corvo,
reproduced from Vol. 1 of
The Scudio, which also
published male nude studies
by W. Gloeden illustrating
an article on 'The Nude
in Photography: with some
studies taken in the
open air'.
Facing page, a bookplate
designed by R. Anning Bell

Only Hind left a story, in connexion, of course, with Beardsley, and success'. It is said to have been a lecture at the Bradford Chamber of
written in 1928. Hind in 1887-he says-resigned the sub-editorship Commerce that took Holme to the export-import with Turkestan,
of The Art Journal, wishing to found a new magazine called The Art India, China, Japan. In 1889 he went to Japan. In 1891 he was a
Student, and went round with a beautifully printed prospectus, in founder member of the Ja pan Society; in 1892 he retired from busi­
search of a patron. The ubiquitous John Lane said 'Charles Holme is ness. But in 1889 he had moved into Morris's Red House; this line
planning to produce an art magazine. He has plenty of money. I'll is not documented, but silk and woollen manufacture might have
bring you together'. Holme liked the idea but not the circumscribed taken him to Morris, though not to Ja pan of whose art Morris had
title; Hind agreed, suggested The Studio and in December 1892, an no great opinion; and The Studio is to be innocent of Morris's social­
agreement was signed between the two, making Hind editor. The political ideas. It was to Holme that Hind went with the work of his
magazine must have been a private property of Holme's. But be­ new discovery Aubrey Beardsley-introduced to him in Alice Meynell 's
tween December and April Hind found larger promises and a 'nobler ladylike drawing room, by that useful Arts and Crafts man Aymer
f
salary' with the offer of The Pall Mall Budget (fm- which Beardsley Vallance. 'What we want, Hind, is a sensational send-of article for
was to do some of his weakest things). Charles Holme (always accord­ the first number,' Hind reminded Holme; and Holme was sufficiently
ing to Hind) generously tore up the agreement, but a ked Hind to find impressed. What we cannot determine is how much Holme influ­
him a new editor. 'On the spur of the moment I replied, "Why not enced day to day editorial policy until Gleeson White died in 1898.
Gleeson White?" Walking round to Bell's the publishers where The casual parenthetical minimizing (inaccurate even in its own
Gleeson White was reader and literary editor, "Gleeson White", I terms) of Gleeson White's role given in the D.N.B. account of Holme
said, "would you like to edit The Studio?" "It would be the dream of cannot be accepted. Gleeson White died young; available records of
my life,'' he answered. So it was settled. That is the correct story.' We his life are scanty, and puzzling; he is remembered for his important,
2
may hope so. Macfall, more reasonably, says Hind resigned from English Illustration: 'The Sixties': 1855-1870 ( 1 897). There is much
The Art Journal in 1892. more to him; contemporaries were emphatic about his personality
Of those three Lewis Hind is the least interesting: his bibliography and influence. He had, we are told, a bookseller's business in Christ­
in the British Museum catalogue is a sad sight: sampling it is sadder. church, Hants.-another version calls it a stationer's shop with circu­
Literary journalist, 'bookman' in that Edwardian sense which we lating library attached: the name was Caxton House. In Christchurch
can use pejoratively, his short connexion with The Studio may have he spent almost forty years; and there, certainly, he was already de­
been his most distinguished effort. Charles Holme ( 1848-1923) was signing bookplates, an interest The Studio is to perpetuate. Gleeson
not a literary journalist or editor until he made himself one. His White apparently spent a year in America, in 1891; and seems to have
formation, so far as we know about it, which is not far enough, arrived in London in 1891 or 1892. He was certainly working for Bell
illustrates what could happen in the 1880s to a good business man, as a designer of book-covers from at least 1885; and a series goes
William Morris plus Japan (and other eastern matters)-a little late through the nineties: not revolutionary, but accomplished. He may
in the day. Born into the silk trade, he moved to Bradford, at the age have been acting as literary adviser as well; for he edited Bell's once
of 23, and wool and 'sound commercial instinct brought material famous Cathedral Series (writing on Salisbury himself) as well as The
176