George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier (6 March 1834 – 8 October 1896) was a Franco-British
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and g ...
and writer known for work in ''
Punch
Punch commonly refers to:
* Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist
* Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice
Punch may also refer to:
Places
* Pu ...
'' and a
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
novel ''
Trilby
A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in Britain Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. Barnes & Noble. and ...
'', featuring the character
Svengali. His son was the actor Sir
Gerald du Maurier. The writers
Angela du Maurier
Angela Busson du Maurier (1 March 1904 – 5 February 2002) was an English actress and novelist who also wrote two volumes of autobiography, ''It's Only the Sister'' (1951) and ''Old Maids Remember'' (1965). Her sister was the novelist Daphne du ...
and
Dame Daphne du Maurier and the artist
Jeanne du Maurier were all granddaughters of George. He was also father of
Sylvia Llewelyn Davies and grandfather of the
five boys who inspired
J. M. Barrie's ''
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...
''.
Early life
George du Maurier was born in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, son of Louis-Mathurin Busson du Maurier and wife Ellen Clarke, daughter of the
Regency courtesan Mary Anne Clarke. He was brought up to believe his
aristocratic grandparents had fled from
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
during the
Revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
, leaving vast estates behind, to live in England as
émigrés. In fact, du Maurier's grandfather, Robert-Mathurin Busson, was a
tradesman who left Paris,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, in 1789 to avoid charges of fraud and later changed the family name to the grander-sounding du Maurier.
Du Maurier studied art in Paris,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, in the studio of
Charles Gleyre, and moved to
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, , Belgium, where he lost the vision in his left eye. He consulted an
oculist
Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders.
An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...
in
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...
,
Rhineland
The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section.
Term
Historically, the Rhinelands ...
,
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
,
German Confederation
The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...
. He was reportedly studying
chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...
at
University College, London, in 1851. He is recorded in the 1861 England Census as a
lodger at 85 Newman St in Marylebone.
He met Emma Wightwick in 1853 and married her a decade later, on 3 January 1863, at
St Marylebone, Westminster. Moving frequently over the course of their marriage, the couple first settled in
Hampstead
Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough o ...
in 1869, initially at
Gang Moor near the Whitestone Pond for three years, before moving to 27
Church Row and later at New Grove House in 1881.
In 1891, the family is recorded as residing at 2 Porchester Rd in Paddington. They had five children: Beatrix (known as Trixy),
Guy,
Sylvia, Marie Louise (known as May) and
Gerald.
Career
Cartoonist
Du Maurier became a member of staff at the British satirical magazine ''
Punch
Punch commonly refers to:
* Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist
* Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice
Punch may also refer to:
Places
* Pu ...
'' in 1865, drawing two cartoons a week. His commonest targets were the affected manners of
Victorian society, the
bourgeoisie
The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. Th ...
and members of Britain's growing middle class in particular. His most enduring cartoon, ''True Humility'' (1895), popularised the expressions "good in parts" and "a
curate's egg
A "curate's egg" is something described as partly bad and partly good. In its original usage, it referred to something that is obviously and entirely bad, but is described out of politeness as nonetheless having good features that redeem it. This ...
". In it, a bishop addresses a humble
curate
A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy ...
, whom he has invited to breakfast: "I'm afraid you've got a bad egg, Mr. Jones." The curate replies, "Oh no, my Lord, I assure you – parts of it are excellent!" The gag was not original to du Maurier, however, as it had appeared in a similar cartoon a few months earlier in ''
Judy'', a less widely read competitor to ''Punch''.
In an earlier (1884) cartoon, du Maurier coined the expression "
bedside manner", with which he satirised medical care. Another of his notable cartoons depicted a fanciful
videophone
Videotelephony, also known as videoconferencing and video teleconferencing, is the two-way or multipoint reception and transmission of audio signal, audio and video signals by people in different locations for Real-time, real time communication. ...
conversation in 1879, using a device he called "
Edison's
telephonoscope".
While producing black-and-white drawings for ''Punch'', du Maurier created illustrations for several other popular periodicals: ''
Harper's'', ''
The Graphic
''The Graphic'' was a British weekly illustrated newspaper, first published on 4 December 1869 by William Luson Thomas's company Illustrated Newspapers Ltd. Thomas's brother Lewis Samuel Thomas was a co-founder. The premature death of the latt ...
'', ''The Illustrated Times'', ''
The Cornhill Magazine
''The Cornhill Magazine'' (1860–1975) was a monthly Victorian magazine and literary journal named after the street address of the founding publisher Smith, Elder & Co. at 65 Cornhill in London.Laurel Brake and Marysa Demoor, ''Dictiona ...
'', and the religious periodical ''
Good Words''. Furthermore, he did illustrations for the serialisation of
Charles Warren Adams's ''
The Notting Hill Mystery'', which is often seen as the first detective story of novel length to have appeared in English. Among several other novels he illustrated was ''Misunderstood'' by
Florence Montgomery in 1873.
Writer
His deteriorating eyesight caused du Maurier to reduce his involvement with ''Punch'' in 1891 and settle in
Hampstead
Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough o ...
, where he wrote three novels. His first, ''Peter Ibbetson'' (1891), was a modest success at the time and later adapted for
stage and screen, most notably in
a 1935 film, and as an
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
.
His second novel, ''
Trilby
A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in Britain Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. Barnes & Noble. and ...
'', published in 1894, fitted into the
gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
horror genre that was undergoing a revival. Hugely popular, it tells of a poor artist's model, Trilby O'Ferrall, transformed into a diva under the spell of an evil musical genius,
Svengali. Soap, songs, dances, toothpaste, and even the city of
Trilby, Florida, were named after her, as was the variety of soft felt hat with an indented crown worn in the London stage dramatisation of the novel. The plot inspired
Gaston Leroux
Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux (6 May 186815 April 1927) was a French journalist and author of detective fiction.
In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel '' The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, ...
's 1910 novel ''
Phantom of the Opera'' and innumerable works derived from it. Du Maurier eventually came to dislike the persistent attention the novel was given.
The third novel was a long, largely autobiographical work entitled ''
The Martian'', published posthumously in 1898.
Death and legacy
Du Maurier died on 8 October 1898 and was buried in
St John-at-Hampstead churchyard in Hampstead. The success of his writings and illustrations allowed du Maurier to leave a then staggering amount of £47,555 in his will.
Du Maurier was a close friend of
Henry James
Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...
, the novelist; their relationship was fictionalised in
David Lodge's ''Author, Author'' (2004).
Harrison, Sophie, "'Author, Author': The Portrait of a Layabout" ''The New York Times'', October 10, 2004.
Bibliography
*''Peter Ibbetson'' (1891), also 1917 play; adapted in 1935 by Henry Hathaway into a film starring Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...
; also adapted as an opera by Deems Taylor in 1931
*''Trilby
A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in Britain Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. Barnes & Noble. and ...
'' (1894) published first as a magazine serial in 8 parts
*'' The Martian'' (1898)
*''Social Pictorial Satire'' (1898) (Harper's New Monthly Magazine)
Film adaptations
*''Trilby
A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in Britain Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. Barnes & Noble. and ...
'' (1914), starring Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and theatre manager.
Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End, winning praise for adventurous progra ...
and Viva Birkett
*''Trilby
A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in Britain Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. Barnes & Noble. and ...
'' (1915), starring Wilton Lackaye
Wilton Lackaye (September 30, 1862 – August 22, 1932) was an American stage and film actor, who originated the role of Svengali (from the 1895 novel ''Trilby'') in both stage and film.
Early life
William Andrew Lackey was born in Loudoun Coun ...
and Clara Kimball Young
Clara Kimball Young (born Edith Matilda Clara Kimball;
September 6, 1890 – October 15, 1960) was an American film actress who was popular in the early silent film era.
Early life
Edith Matilda Clara Kimball was born in Chicago on Septembe ...
*''Forever
Forever or 4ever may refer to:
Film and television Films
* ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice
* ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama
* ''Forever'' (1992 film), an American ...
'' (1921), starring Wallace Reid
William Wallace Halleck Reid (April 15, 1891 – January 18, 1923) was an American actor in silent film, referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover". He also had a brief career as a racing driver.
Early life
Reid was born in St. Louis, M ...
and Elsie Ferguson
Elsie Louise Ferguson (August 19, 1883 – November 15, 1961) was an American stage and film actress.
Early life
Born in New York City, Elsie Ferguson was the only child of Hiram and Amelia Ferguson. Her father was a successful attorney. Raise ...
*''Trilby
A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in Britain Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. Barnes & Noble. and ...
'' (1923), starring Arthur Edmund Carewe
Arthur Edmund Carewe (December 30, 1884 – April 22, 1937), born Hovsep Hovsepian ( hy, Հովսեփ Հովսեփյան), was an Armenian-American stage and film actor of the silent and early sound film era.
Early life
Born on December 30, 18 ...
and Andrée Lafayette
*'' Svengali'' (1927), starring Paul Wegener and Anita Dorris
Anita Dorris (1903–1993) was a German actress of the Silent era. She played the role of Trilby in the 1927 film ''Svengali''. She was the mother of Maria Emo who also became an actress.
Selected filmography
* '' Frau Sopherl vom Naschmarkt'' ...
*'' Svengali'' (1931), starring John Barrymore
John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly att ...
and Marian Marsh
*'' Peter Ibbetson'' (1935), starring Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...
and Ann Harding
*''The Guilt of Janet Ames
''The Guilt of Janet Ames'' is a 1947 American sentimental film noir directed by Henry Levin, based on a story by Lenore Coffee, and starring Rosalind Russell and Melvyn Douglas.
Plot
War widow Janet Ames (Rosalind Russell) is stricken unconsc ...
'' (1947), starring Melvyn Douglas
Melvyn Douglas (born Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg, April 5, 1901 – August 4, 1981) was an American actor. Douglas came to prominence in the 1930s as a suave leading man, perhaps best typified by his performance in the romantic comedy ''Ninotchk ...
and Rosalind Russell
Catherine Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907November 28, 1976) was an American actress, comedienne, screenwriter, and singer,Obituary '' Variety'', December 1, 1976, p. 79. known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson in the H ...
*'' Svengali'' (1954), starring Donald Wolfit
Sir Donald Wolfit, KBE (born Donald Woolfitt; Harwood, Ronald"Wolfit, Sir Donald (1902–1968)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edn, January 2008; accessed 14 July 2009 20 April 1902 ...
and Hildegard Knef
*'' Svengali'' (1983), starring Peter O'Toole
Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was a British stage and film actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old V ...
and Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and the hono ...
See also
* Trilbymania
References
Further reading
*Simon Cooke and Paul Goldman. ''George Du Maurier: Illustrator, Author, Critic. Beyond Svengali''. Routledge, 2016
*Richard Kelly. ''George du Maurier.'' Twayne, 1983
*Richard Kelly. ''The Art of George du Maurier.'' Scolar Press, 1996
*Leonée Ormond. ''George du Maurier.'' Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1969
*" Du Maurier", a poem by Florence Earle Coates first published in 1898
External links
Dictionary of National Biography, 1901 supplement: Du Maurier, George Louis Palmella Busson
*
*
Works by or about George du Maurier
at HathiTrust
HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries including content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digitized locall ...
Works by or about George du Maurier
at GoogleBooks
*
A gallery of George du Maurier works for Punch magazine
a
The Victorian Web
a
Lambiek.net
*
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090421181942/http://www.cartoonstock.com/vintage/vintage_search.asp?x=a&keyword=&Category=Not+Selected&Boolean=Or&Artist=du+Maurier%2C+George&submit=Search George du Maurier cartoons at CartoonStock] (Commercial site)
Telephonoscope, a cartoon of a television/videophone in 1879
*
*
Blue Plaque
at 91, Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London
George du Maurier
at University of Exeter Special Collections
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Du Maurier, George
1834 births
1896 deaths
French emigrants to the United Kingdom
Artists from Paris
British cartoonists
Punch (magazine) cartoonists
Burials at St John-at-Hampstead
19th-century British writers
Writers of Gothic fiction
George
Victorian novelists