Henry Bingham Neilson (1861 – 13 October 1941), who signed his work and was usually credited as Harry B. Neilson, less often as H. B. Neilson, was a British illustrator, mostly of children’s books. His first career was as an engineer and electrician, working for a Liverpool shipbuilder, at sea, and in India, where he was a part-time Indian Army cavalryman, but by the 1890s his career as an illustrator was established and he lived his last 37 years in an English village.

Life and work

Born at Birkenhead, in an area called the Wirral, which was then in

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

, Neilson was the son of Andrew and Isabel Anne Neilson and had seven older brothers and sisters. His father was a Scottish merchant who for some years had lived and worked in Brazil, while his mother was a

British subject The term "British subject" has several different meanings depending on the time period. Before 1949, it referred to almost all subjects of the British Empire (including the United Kingdom, Dominions, and colonies, but excluding protectorates ...

born in

Cartagena, Colombia Cartagena ( , also ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region, bordering the Caribbean sea. Cartagena's past role as a link ...

. The family moved to England in the 1850s and was settled in Birkenhead by the time of young Harry's birth in 1861, at 39, Westbourne Road, Birkenhead, a house then set among open fields which stretched into Claughton.Christopher Proudlove,
Life and times of a Comic Genius
' at writeantiques.com, accessed 5 March 2019 In 1863 the growing Neilson family moved to a new house called Airliewood which Andrew Neilson had had built on an acre of land in Forest Road, Claughton. Neilson later recalled "My father still wore half-Wellington top boots and the old fashioned stocks. The ladies wore poke bonnets, crinolines, Paisley shawls, and many-flounced, voluminous skirts, while young men of fashion affected peg-top trousers, little pork-pie hats with fluttering ribbons, and Dundreary whiskers. Policemen still wore top hats. Croquet was practically the only outdoor game played by ladies." In 1879 Neilson was apprenticed as an engineer with

Laird Brothers Cammell Laird is a British shipbuilding company. It was formed from the merger of Laird Brothers of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century. The company also built railway rolling stock until 1929, ...

, a major shipbuilding firm in Liverpool. After completing this training in 1884, he worked as an electrician on the new Red Star Line transatlantic steamer SS ''Noordland'' until 1886. In August of that year, his unmarried sister Isabel Anne died, aged 36, and in administering her estate their father was named as "Andrew Neilson, Gentleman". Neilson had a cousin in Bihar in British India who was in charge of an indigo plantation there, and in 1887 he went out to join him. While there, he enlisted in the

Bihar Light Horse The Bihar Light Horse was a mounted infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised on 8 December 1862 as the Soubah Behar Mounted Rifles Volunteer Corps by indigo planters of the Tirhoot and Chapra districts in Bihar in the aftermat ...

as a part-time trooper. In 1889, his first illustrated book, ''The Adventures of Sam Pippins, Esq., with the Kilkenny Hunt'', was published by Simpkin, Marshall, & Co.''The Publishers' Circular and General Record of British and Foreign Literature'', Vol. 52 (Sampson Low, 1889), p. 61 Meanwhile, at home in Birkenhead, in 1890 his father died, aged 73, followed in 1893 by his mother, aged 66. His father left property valued at £3,896, , with his mother and brother John Robertson Neilson, a cotton broker, appointed as Executors. During the 1890s, Neilson became active as a book illustrator, and by 1903 had returned to England to live with a sister at a house called Meadowbank, at 36 School Lane,

Bidston Bidston is a village, a parish and a suburb of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, in the modern county of Merseyside. The area is a mixture of the well-preserved Bidston Village, Bidston Hill, a modern housing estate, and the Bidston Moss nat ...

, a village in his native Wirral. He stayed at Meadowbank for the rest of his life. Mr Fox's Hunt Breakfast on Xmas Day

Neilson illustrated many children's books, several of them for the children's writer S. H. Hamer, who conveniently was also an editor with Cassell & Co. Neilson also worked as an illustrator of magazines and designed postcards and Christmas cards. In much of his work he depicted animals dressed as people, like his contemporaries Beatrix Potter and

Harry Rountree Harry Rountree (26 January 1878''1939 England and Wales Register'' – 26 September 1950) was a prolific illustrator working in England around the turn of the 20th century. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, he moved to London in 1901, when he was 23 ...

, but often showing them in more vigorous activities. In France he has been compared with

Benjamin Rabier Benjamin Rabier (1864–1939) was a French illustrator, comic book artist and animator. He became famous for creating '' La vache qui rit'' and is one of the precursors of animal comics. His work has inspired many other artists, notably Hergé a ...

.Alan Clark, ''Dictionary of British Comic Artists, Writers and Editors'' (The British Library, 1998), p. 120 His best-known work, "Mr Fox's Hunt Breakfast on Xmas Day" ''(pictured)'' is said to represent five members of the

Blankney Hunt The Blankney Hunt is an English foxhound pack, based in the village of Blankney, Lincolnshire, with hunting country of around by within Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. History and masters The hunt dates from 1871, when the old Burton Hu ...

, in Lincolnshire and has been widely reproduced. Dressed for hunting, the breakfast party is eating pheasant and drinking Renard (French for "fox") champagne. Pictures on the wall behind are of hunting scenes, but with foxes in pursuit of men, one of whom is

going to ground ''Going to Ground'' is the third book in the Shapeshifter series of young adult novels by Ali Sparkes. It was first published in May 2007. Plot summary Following the events of ''Running the Risk'', Dax and the other Colas are sent to recover ...

. The original, a large chromolithograph, was a free gift to readers with the Christmas issue of the '' Penny Illustrated Paper'' in December 1897. One hundred years later, in December 1997, it was used as the cover art for the Christmas-week issue of the British magazine '' Country Life''."This Week's Cover Adapted from Mr Fox's Hunt Breakfast by Harry B. Nielson" icin ''Country Life'', Volume 191, Issue 51, dated 24 December 1997, p. 32 ''Games and Gambols'' (1902) includes Neilson's notable picture of "The great test match between the Lions and the Kangaroos". In 1903 and 1904, Neilson worked with the Irish dramatist William Boyle, illustrating two books of comic verse, ''Comic Capers'' and ''Christmas at the Zoo''. Frederick Wilse Bateson, ''The Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature'', Volume 2, p. 1,065 Neilson returned to the theme of "Mr Fox's Hunt Breakfast" in ''The Fox's Frolic; or, A Day with the Topsy Turvy Hunt'' (1917), illustrating a long narrative poem by

Sir Francis Burnand Sir Francis Cowley Burnand (29 November 1836 – 21 April 1917), usually known as F. C. Burnand, was an English comic writer and prolific playwright, best known today as the librettist of Arthur Sullivan's opera ''Cox and Box''. The son of ...

in which the usual

fox hunting Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of ho ...

roles are reversed, with the foxes riding hounds and becoming the hunters, with "the brush" pursued being a farmer's broom. An American edition appeared in 1935.''The Publishers Weekly'', Volume 130 (1936), p. 753: "Burnand, Sir Francis Cowley, The fox's frolic, or, A day with the topsy turvy hunt; ill. by Harry B. Neilson ... . Y., Wm. CollinsA story, told in verse form, of a hunt in which the foxes are the hunters, and the hounds are their horses." Neilson was a keen rider, keeping his own horse, which he groomed himself. In 1935 he published ''Auld-lang-syne'', a book of memoirs and reminiscences of Claughton, Birkenhead, and Bidston, arranging to have it printed by a local firm, Willmer Brothers. One of the brothers, Wrayford Willmer, later remembered the arrival of a "persistent, eccentric little man" with his manuscript. Neilson died in a nursing home at West Kirby, Cheshire, on 13 October 1941, with his home address given as Meadowbank, School Lane, Bidston, leaving an estate valued at £1070. An archive of 325 items, including drawings, watercolours, and manuscripts by Neilson is held in the Manuscripts Division of the

Charles E. Young Research Library The Charles E. Young Research Library is one of the largest libraries on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. It initially opened in 1964, and a second phase of construction was completed ...

, at the University of California, Los Angeles. A new edition of ''The Fox's Frolic'' was published by Applewood Books in 2009.

Assessment

In his book on

Arthur Rackham Arthur Rackham (19 September 1867 – 6 September 1939) was an English book illustrator. He is recognised as one of the leading figures during the Golden Age of British book illustration. His work is noted for its robust pen and ink drawings, ...

, Fred Gettings saysFred Gettings, ''Arthur Rackham'' (London: Studio Vista, 1976), p. 81

Publications

*H. B. Neilson, ''The Adventures of Sam Pippins, Esq., with the Kilkenny Hunt, Illustrated and written by Harry B. Neilson'' (Simpkin, Marshall & Co., London, and John Heywood, Manchester, undated, 1889) * S. H. Hamer, ''Micky Magee's Menagerie, or, Strange animals and their doings'', illustrated by Harry B. Neilson (Cassell & Company, London, Paris, New York & Melbourne, 1897), * Evelyn Sharp,

George Manville Fenn George Manville Fenn (3 January 1831 in Pimlico – 26 August 1909 in Isleworth) was a prolific English novelist, journalist, editor and educationalist. Many of his novels were written with young adults in mind. His final book was his biography ...

, et al., ''Little Folks 1899'', illustrated by Harry B. Neilson and

Lewis Baumer Lewis Christopher Edward Baumer (8 August 1870 – 25 October 1963) was best known as an English cartoonist who worked for more than fifty years for the British magazine ''Punch'', from 1897. He was also a portrait and still life painter, pastell ...

(London: Cassell & Co., 1899) *S. H. Hamer, ''Whys and Other Whys, or, Curious Creatures and Their Tales'', illustrated by Harry B. Neilson (London: Cassell, 1898), *Harry B. Neilson & the Cockiolly Bird, ''Droll Doings, Illustrations by Harry B. Neilson, with Verses by the Cockiolly Bird'' (London: Blackie & Son, 1900), *Harry B. Neilson, ''An Animal A B C'' (London: Blackie & Son, 1900), *S. H. Hamer, Harry B. Neilson, ''Topsy-Turvy Tales, or The Exception Proves the Rule'' (London: Cassell, 1901), * Francis T. Buckland, ''Curiosities of Natural History, Illustrated by H. B. Neilson'' (London: Methuen, new edition, 1904) *S. H. Hamer, ''The Jungle School; or Dr. Jibber-Jabber Burchall's Academy, With Illustrations by H. B. Neilson'' (London: Cassell, 1900), *S. H. Hamer, ''Peter Piper's Peepshow'', with Illustrations by H. B. Neilson and

(London: Cassell & Company, 1900), *S. H. Hamer, ''The Ten Travellers, and other tales in prose and verse'', illustrated by H. B. Neilson (Cassell & Company, London, Paris, New York & Melbourne, 1902), *H. B. Neilson & John Brymer, ''Games and Gambols Illustrated by Harry B. Neilson; with Verses by John Brymer'' (Blackie and Son, 1902), * Sabine Baring-Gould, ''Amazing Adventures Drawn by H. B. Neilson and Written by S. Baring Gould'' (London: Skeffington & Son, 1903), *Anon, ''Bo-Peep: a Treasury for the Little Ones'' (London, Paris, New York, Melbourne: Cassell and Company, 1903), illustrated by Harry B. Neilson and others * William Boyle, ''Comic Capers, Pictures by H. B. Neilson, Verses by William Boyle'' (1903), *William Boyle, ''Christmas at the Zoo: Described in Verse by William Boyle, with Coloured Illustrations by H. B. Neilson'' (1904) *''Old Mother Hubbard drawn by Harry B. Neilson'' (Port Sunlight: printed and published by Lever Brothers, Soapmakers to H. M. the King; undated) *Clifton Bingham, ''The Animals' Academy'', illustrated by Harry B. Neilson (London: Blackie & Son, 1904), *S. H. Hamer, ''Topsy Turvy Tales'', with 4 Coloured Plates and numerous Illustrations by Harry B. Neilson (1906) *Harry B. Neilson, E. A. Cubitt, Jane M. Dealy et al., ''Arm Chair Stories'' (London: Blackie and Son, undated) *''Jack the Giant Killer and other stories'', illustrated by Harry B. Neilson and others (London: John F. Shaw, undated) *Louis Wain, Harry B. Neilson, et al., ''Merry Times in Animal Land'' (London: James Clarke and Co., undated, c. 1907) *Harry B. Neilson, ''The Story of the Gray Goose drawn by Harry B. Neilson'' (London: Nelson, 1907) *''Animal Playtime with Pictures by Louis Wain, J. A. Shepherd, and Harry B. Neilson &c.'' (London: James Clarke & Co., 1908) *Harry B. Neilson, ''The Farmyard: Over Sixty Lifelike Animals'' (1912) *Anon., ''Little Leo's Birthday: Pictures and Verses For Little Folk'' (London, Glasgow and Bombay: Blackie and Son Limited, c. 1913), illustrated by Harry B. Neilson and others *''Cole’s Jingle Jungle Book: Pictures and Verses for Little Folk illustrated by Harry B. Neilson'' (Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Commonwealth of Australia: E. W. Cole, 1915) *

F. C. Burnand Sir Francis Cowley Burnand (29 November 1836 – 21 April 1917), usually known as F. C. Burnand, was an English comic writer and prolific playwright, best known today as the librettist of Arthur Sullivan's opera ''Cox and Box''. The son of ...

, ''The Fox's Frolic; or, A Day with the Topsy Turvy Hunt'', illustrated by Harry B. Neilson (London & Glasgow: Wm. Collins, Sons & Co., 1917) **''The Fox's Frolic'' (New York: William Collins, 1935) **''The Fox's Frolic'' (New edition, Applewood Books, 2009, ) *Harry B. Neilson, ''Jolly Jaunts'' (Collins, London & Glasgow, undated), *''Birdie's Picture Book'', with stories and illustrations by Harry B Neilson, H. G. C. Lambert, and others (London: S. W. Partridge & Co., undated, c. 1919) *''Partridges Children's Annual - Fourth Year of Issue'' with Illustrations by Louis Wain, Cecil Aldin, H G C Marsh Lambert, Harry B. Nielson, Frank Hart, M. Bowley etc. (London: S. W. Partridge & Co Ltd, c. 1920) *Harry B. Neilson, ''A Little Pickle'' (undated, c. 1920) *Harry B. Neilson, ''Harry B. Neilson's A.B.C.'' (London: Collins, 1921) *Harry B. Neilson, ''Mr. Jumbo at Home'' (Blackie, October 1921) *Harry B. Neilson, ''More Jumbo Stories'' (Blackie & Son, undated) *Harry B. Neilson, ''Jumbo’s Jolly Tales'' (Blackie & Son, undated) *Baron Krakemsides, ''The Careless chicken, Illus. by Harry B. Neilson'' (London: Frederick Warne, 1924) *Edith E. Millard, ''Mr Skiddleywinks'', Illustrated by Harry B. Neilson (London: W. & R. Chambers, undated, but advertised in ''The Publisher'' 1927) **Edith E. Millard, ''Mr Skiddleywinks'', Illustrated by Harry B. Neilson'' (New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co., 1930)''Childhood Education'', Volume 7 (1930), p. 158 *Harry B. Neilson, ''Auld-lang-syne: recollections and rural records of old Claughton, Birkenhead and Bidston with other reminiscences'' (Willmer Brothers, 1935, ) *S. H. Hamer, ''Escuela de Animales, illustrado por Harry B. Neilson'' (Barcelona: Ramon Sopena, 1942),

Notes

External links

Harry B. Neilson
on

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Finding Aid for the Harry B. Neilson Papers
at the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neilson, Harry B. 1861 births 1941 deaths 19th-century English artists 20th-century English artists British children's book illustrators Postcard artists Magazine illustrators Fox hunting writers Foxes in popular culture Military personnel of British India Artists from Birkenhead