"You're a pair of Whittingtons, gents, without the cat; . . . My name is Tigg; how do you do?" by Fred Barnard. 1872. 13.2 x 17.4 cm, or 5 ⅛ high by 6 ⅞ inches, framed. Engraving by the Dalziels for The Household Edition of Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit, Chapter VII. (This is one of only four full-page illustrations in the 1872 volume.)
Passage Illustrated
They were both very busy on the afternoon succeeding the family’s departure — Martin with the grammar-school, and Tom in balancing certain receipts of rents, and deducting Mr Pecksniff’s commission from the same; in which abstruse employment he was much distracted by a habit his new friend had of whistling aloud while he was drawing — when they were not a little startled by the unexpected obtrusion into that sanctuary of genius, of a human head which, although a shaggy and somewhat alarming head in appearance, smiled affably upon them from the doorway, in a manner that was at once waggish, conciliatory, and expressive of approbation.
"I am not industrious myself, gents both," said the head, "but I know how to appreciate that quality in others. I wish I may turn grey and ugly, if it isn’t in my opinion, next to genius, one of the very charmingest qualities of the human mind. Upon my soul, I am grateful to my friend Pecksniff for helping me to the contemplation of such a delicious picture as you present. You remind me of Whittington, afterwards thrice Lord Mayor of London. I give you my unsullied word of honour, that you very strongly remind me of that historical character. You are a pair of Whittingtons, gents, without the cat; which is a most agreeable and blessed exception to me, for I am not attached to the feline species. My name is Tigg; how do you do?"
Martin looked to Mr. Pinch for an explanation; and Tom, who had never in his life set eyes on Mr. Tigg before, looked to that gentleman himself.
"Chevy Slyme?" said Mr. Tigg, interrogatively, and kissing his left hand in token of friendship. "You will understand me when I say that I am the accredited agent of Chevy Slyme; that I am the ambassador from the court of Chiv? Ha ha!" [Chapter VII, "In Which Mr. Chevy Slyme Asserts the Independence of his Spirit, and The Blue Dragon Loses a Limb," 53]
Commentary: A "Jaunty," "Mean," and "Swaggering" Confidence Man
Here Barnard gives us a much sharper image of Montague Tigg as, unaccompanied by the morose Slyme, he visits the architectural apprentices in their studio: Tom Pinch (right), young Martin Chuzzlewit (centre), and Montague Tigg (left). From his first appearance as Chevy Slyme's faithful "agent" and sychophant, Montague Tigg is following the money. Plausible and persuasive, he uses his considerable rhetorical skills to ingratiate himself with those worth exploiting. He seems to have picked up Slyme after a dishonourable discharge from the army. After he disassociates himself from the penurious Slyme who has lost his hopes of a Chuzzlewit inheritance, Tigg reverses his names. As financier Tigg Montague he cultivates a splendid appearance in furtherance of his confidence scheme, The Anglo-Bengalee Disinterested Loan and Life Assurance Company, in which both Jonas Chuzzlewit and Seth Pecksniff foolishly become significant shareholders.
Barnard takes a rather more positive view of the cadger, making him personable, curious, and infectiously amiable. His theatrical air and effusiveness are reflected in the appraisal to which he seems to be subjecting the young would-be architects. Unlike the American confidence men whom Martin and Mark encounter, Montague Tigg is a charming rascal. In other artists' representations, Tigg comes off as a bit sleazy, a character with a dubious past: distinguished by his extravagant Van Dyke and military-looking surtout, he exudes a theatrical flamboyance and eloquence, which suggest that he is constantly posing. His military air implies his ignominious past as an officer who deserted his native troops when his unit came under attack. Consistently in Barnard's illustrations Tigg comes off as a survivor who knows how to manipulate and profit from the gullible and greedy.
Relevant Illustrations, 1843-1910
Left: In Hablot Knight Browne's scene at Pecksniff's we encounter the shaggy hanger-on in a military uniform to the left of Pecksniff, beside Chevy Slyme: Pleasant Little Family Party at Mr. Pecksniff's (February 1843). Centre: Sol Eytinge, Jr.'s Montague Tigg and Chevy Slyme (1867). Right: Harry Furniss's version of the family scene shows Tigg at the very right-hand margin, next to Slyme: Mr. Spottletoe stands up to Pecksniff (1910). [Click on the images to enlarge them.]
Scanned images and text by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned them and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Bibliography
Bentley, Nicolas, Michael Slater, and Nina Burgis. The Dickens Index. New York and Oxford: Oxford U. P., 1990.
Dickens, Charles. The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit. Illustrated by Phiz (Hablot Knight Browne). London: Chapman and Hall, 1844.
_____. The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit. Illustrated by Sol Eytinge, Junior. The Diamond Edition. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1867.
_____. The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, with 59 illustrations by Fred Barnard. Household Edition, 22 volumes. London: Chapman and Hall, 1872. Vol. 2. [The copy of the Household Edition from which these pictures were scanned was the gift of George Gorniak, proprietor of The Dickens Magazine, whose subject for the fifth series, beginning in January 2008, was this 1843-44 novel.
_____. Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit. Illustrated by Harry Furniss. The Charles Dickens Library Edition. 18 vols. London: Educational Book, 1910. Vol. 7.
_____. Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit. Illustrated Sterling Edition. Illustrated by Hablot K. Browne and Frederick Barnard. Boston: Dana Estes, n. d. [1890s]
Kyd [Clayton J. Clarke]. Characters from Dickens. Nottingham: John Player & Sons, 1910.
Steig, Michael. "From Caricature to Progress: Master Humphrey's Clock and Martin Chuzzlewit." Ch. 3, Dickens and Phiz. Bloomington & London: Indiana U.P., 1978. Pp. 51-85. [See e-text in Victorian Web.]
Steig, Michael. "Martin Chuzzlewit's Progress by Dickens and Phiz. Dickens Studies Annual 2 (1972): 119-149.
Last modified 8 July 2016
Last updated 17 November 2024