WALTER BESANT

Sir Walter Besant (1836-1901) was a novelist, historian and philanthropist. His work was influential on bringing attention to social issues in London’s East End, a notoriously poor region heavily associated with crime in the Victorian period, and was involved in the establishment of the People’s Palace. His worked helped mobilise movements and policy to help the poor, and contributed to important reform acts at the end of the 19th century.

SIR ARTHUR BRYANT

Sir Arthur Bryant (1899-1985) was a historian who regularly contributed to periodicals, including the Illustrated London News and the Sunday Times. He had a long association with the Illustrated London News, and his ‘Our Note Book’ column was published for 33 years whilst he published works of history. After serving as one of the first officers in the newly formed Royal Air force in World War I, his historical work achieved positive critical reception, and achieved popular success.

Bryant, Arthur. “Our Note Book.” Illustrated London News, 15 Oct. 1938

Bryant, Arthur. “Our Note Book.” 150th Anniversary of Australia (Supplement). Illustrated London News, 29 Jan. 1938

Bryant, Arthur. “Our Note Book.” Accession of King George Vi and Abdication of King Edward Viii (Special Number). Illustrated London News, 19 Dec. 1936

Bryant, Arthur. “The ‘Spitfire’ Mass-Produced: Building the R. A. F.’s Fastest Fighter.” Illustrated London News, 4 Feb. 1939

FLORENCE FENWICK-MILLER

Florence Fenwick-Miller (1854-1935) was a journalist and author, who regularly campaigned for social reform. She began her ‘Ladies’ Notes’ column which ran for 32 years. She supported and campaigned for many high profile social causes in Victorian Britain, including education and women’s suffrage. She co-founded the Women’s Franchise League with Emmeline Pankhurst in 1889, and legal action resulted in the legal precedent that women were no longer legally required to take their husband’s name.

Miller, Florence Fenwick. “The Ladies’ Column.” Illustrated London News, 11 May 1889

Miller, Florence Fenwick. “The Ladies’ Column.” Illustrated London News, 22 Feb. 1890

Miller, Fenwick. “The Ladies’ Column.” Illustrated London News, 31 Dec. 1892

Miller, Fenwick. “The Ladies’ Column.” Illustrated London News, 1 Dec. 1894

SIR CHARLES PETRIE

Sir Charles Alexander Petrie (1895-1977) was a historian, and made regular contributions to the Illustrated London News. Before the war, he had a conflicted relationship with right-wing politics and fascism, being an admirer of Benito Mussolini but at the same time being publicly against Nazism. He initially supported General Franco in Spain, and Sir Oswald Mosley (though his opinion of Mosley had changed by his 1972 memoir), and supported Neville Chamberlain and appeasement.

Petrie, Charles. “Armenia to Arlington House.” Illustrated London News, 20 Mar. 1965

Petrie, Charles. “Eleven Years a Queen.” Queen Elizabeth: The First Ten Years (Record). Illustrated London News, 12 Oct. 1963

Petrie, Charles, Bt. “Queen Mary.” Death of Queen Mary (Special Number). Illustrated London News, 4 Apr. 1953

Petrie, Charles, Bt. “Sir Winston Churchill’s Place in History.” Winston Churchill the Greatest Figure of Our Time (Record). Illustrated London News, 26 Apr. 1954

JULIUS PRICE

Julius Mendes Price 1857-1924) was an artist, war correspondent, traveller and explorer. He became a special artist for the Illustrated London News in 1904, following the Russian Army in the Russo-Japanese war, during which time he was also a correspondent for The Daily Telegraph. His travel before the conflict had been extensive: in 1890-91 he joined an expedition to the interior of Siberia, followed by trips across Mongolia, through the Gobi Desert, China, and in 1895 to the Western Australian gold fields among others.

“On the ‘Great Post Road’ in Siberia.” Illustrated London News, 22 Aug. 1891

“Italy’s Victorious Counter-Stroke to the Austrian Offensive in the Trentino: The Fording of the Posina.” Illustrated London News, 19 Aug. 1916

“Russian Winter Quarters at the Front: Zemliankas, or Dug - Outs.” Illustrated London News, 4 Feb. 1905

Price, Julius M. “The Land of the Golden Nugget.” Illustrated London News, 11 Jan. 1896

MELTON PRIOR

Melton Prior (1845-1910) joined the Illustrated London News in the early 1870s, as an artist and war correspondent. Alongside William Simpson and Frederic Villiers, he was one of three major artists employed by the magazine, covering conflicts and royal tours. During his tenure, he covered conflicts in many places, including Africa (Ashanti War, Zulu War and Boer War), Asia (Burma), North Africa (Egypt and the Sudan), Europe (Russo-Turkish War), and India.

“Across Two Oceans: The West Indies.—Sketches by Our Special Artist, Mr. Melton Prior.” Illustrated London News, 4 Aug. 1888

“Sketches in Burmah. By Our Special Artist, Mr. Melton Prior.” Illustrated London News, 20 Mar. 1886

“South African Warfare: A Halt of the 24th Regiment.” Illustrated London News, 22 Feb. 1879

“The Vintage at Macul, Chile.” Illustrated London News, 5 Oct. 1889

GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA

George Augustus Henry Sala (1828-1895) was a journalist, widely regarded as the first ‘celebrity’ journalist in Britain, and is best known as a foreign correspondent for the Daily Telegraph. He reported from around the globe, and his writing was a fundamental element in establishing the reputation of the paper, and his own as one of the most popular voices in the British press. From 1860 he contributed ‘Echoes of the Week’ in the Illustrated London News, which ran until 1886 before moving to other newspapers.

Sala, George Augustus. “India and the Prince of Wales.” Visit of the Prince of Wales to India (Special Number). Illustrated London News, 16 Oct. 1875

Sala, George Augustus. “St. Petersburg as It is.” St Petersburg as It is (Supplement). Illustrated London News, 28 Apr. 1877

Sala, George Augustus. “Stanley and Africa.” Stanley in Africa (Special Number). Illustrated London News, 6 Feb. 1878

Sala, George Augustus. “Womankind in Turkey.” Illustrated London News, 1 Sept. 1877

FREDERIC VILLIERS

Frederic Villiers (1851-1922) was a war artist and correspondent, famed for his daring in going closer to the front line of combat than other artists and cameramen. He covered many notable conflicts for the Illustrated London News, also contributing to several other publications at the time, including The Standard and The Graphic. His travels spanned most of the globe, covering India, Oceania, Europe, North Africa, and Asia, including coverage of the Russo-Japanese War, Sudan, and the Boer War.

“Artist and Emperor: Our War Correspondent Received at the Court of Korea.” Illustrated London News, 27 Aug. 1904

“The ‘Army from the Skies’: The Japanese Outflanking Port Arthur.” Illustrated London News, 11 June 1904

“The Last March of Cronjé’s Men after the Paardeberg Surrender.” Illustrated London News, 31 Mar. 1900

“The Soudan Advance.” Illustrated London News, 25 Sept. 1897

Related archive

ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS HISTORICAL ARCHIVE, 1842-2003

When it first launched, this innovative publication started a revolution in journalism and news reporting. It provided an unprecedented visual tour of the triumphs, tragedies, daily life, and monumental events of the world and the modern British Empire – and every issue is contained here.

REQUEST A FREE TRIAL | CONTACT YOUR LOCAL GALE REPRESENTATIVE | SUPPORT AND TRAINING

RETURN TO ARCHIVES EXPLORED | ABOUT GALE PRIMARY SOURCES | GALE DIGITAL SCHOLAR LAB

DISCLAIMER

Any views and opinions expressed in the articles selected are those of the author in question, and any views or opinions from the original source material are those of the publication in question. Gale, a Cengage Company, provide facsimile reproductions of original sources, and do not endorse or dispute the content contained in them.

Any content, unless otherwise stated, are © Gale, a Cengage Company. Further reproduction of this content is prohibited. Any errors are those of the author.