2 54 Dog Shows and Doggy People 



have been told by artists, are amongst the most difficult to pourtray 

 correctly. And as for the feathered world, I think he has few 

 equals and no superior in the charming pictures he has given the 

 world of poultry, pigeons, and cage-birds. 



Mr. Harrison Weir drew for the Graphic in its first year of 

 publication. He drew the portrait of the first Japanese Spaniel, then 

 called a Chinese Pug, for the Illustrated London News in 1853 or 1854. 

 The dog in question was said to have been taken at the sacking of 

 the Emperor's palace, and he has two vases and a bronze ornament 

 taken at the same time. He also drew, in the sixties, for the same 

 paper a portrait of Albert Smith's St. Bernard dog, which used to 

 appear at his well-known lectures on Mont Blanc at the Egyptian 

 Hall, Piccadilly, and about that time illustrated the books called 

 " Funny Dogs with Funny Tales," and " Adventures of a Dog, and 

 a Good Dog, too." 



He remembers the shows of Fancy Dogs held at Aistrop's, in 

 St. Giles, London, where the dogs were placed in cages on long 

 tables, with a very rough-looking lot of fanciers sitting round and 

 discussing their merits. 



I doubt if there is any British artist with such a wide-world 

 reputation as Mr. Harrison Weir, or one who has had such extensive 

 experience as a naturalist, and as I have long had the honour of 

 his acquaintance and always received the greatest courtesy and 

 kindness from him, I am delighted to be able to give an excellent 

 portrait of this highly popular fancier, and to include his name, 

 with these few words, in my little gallery of Doggy People, as I am 

 sure it will be appreciated by all my English-speaking readers 

 wherever they may be. 



I omitted to say in reference to Mr. Harrison Weir that he is one 

 of the two survivors of the original staff of the Field, when that paper 

 was edited by the late Mark Lemon, afterwards editor of Punch, and 

 the oldest connected with the Crystal Pal.ice Company, as he was 

 engaged to make pictures of the " laying out of the grounds " before 

 anything in the way of building was done, and has in many ways 

 been connected with them since. 



Many of my readers who are poultry fanciers will be pleased to 

 hear Mr. Harrison Weir has completed his work on all varieties of 

 poultry, with his own drawings as illustrations, and that there is a 

 prospect of the public having the opportunity of obtaining copies of 

 what will probably be the most complete and exhaustive book on 

 the subject which has appeared for many years, coming from such 



