Dickens. It was at the moment when the serial publication of Pickwick was in danger from the want of a capable interpreter for the illustrations. Dickens knew Browne slightly as the illustrator of his little pamphlet Sunday under Three Heads, and probably this slight knowledge of his work stood the draughtsman in good stead. In the original edition of Pickwick, issued in shilling monthly parts from early in 1836 until the end of 1837, the first seven plates were drawn by Robert Seymour, a clever illustrator who committed suicide in April 1836. The next two plates were by R. W. Buss, an otherwise successful portrait-painter and lecturer, but they were so poor that a change was imperative. Browne and W. M. Thackeray called independently at the publishers’ office with specimens of their powers for Dickens’s inspection. The novelist preferred Browne. Browne’s first two etched plates for Pickwick were signed “Nemo,” but the third was signed “Phiz,” a pseudonym which was retained in future. When asked to explain why he chose this name he answered that the change from “Nemo” to “Phiz” was made “to harmonize better with Dickens’s Boz.” Possibly Browne adopted it to conceal his identity, hoping one day to become famous as a painter. It is to be noted, however, that “Phiz” is usually attached to his better work and H. K. B. to his less successful drawings. “Phiz” undoubtedly created Sam Weller, so far as his well-known figure is concerned, as Seymour had created Pickwick. Dickens and “Phiz” were personally good friends in early days, and in 1838 travelled together to Yorkshire to see the schools of which Nicholas Nickleby became the hero; afterwards they made several journeys of this nature in company to facilitate the illustrator’s work. The other Dickens characters which “Phiz” realized most successfully are perhaps Squeers, Micawber, Guppy, Major Bagstock, Mrs Gamp, Tom Pinch and, above all, David Copperfield. Of the books by Dickens which “Phiz” illustrated the best are David Copperfield, Pickwick, Dombey and Son, Martin Chuzzlewit and Bleak House. Browne made several drawings for Punch in early days and also towards the end of his life; his chief work in this direction being the clever design for the wrapper which was used for eighteen months from January 1842. He also contributed to Punch’s Pocket Books. In addition to his work for Dickens, “Phiz” illustrated over twenty of Lever’s novels (the most successful being Harry Lorrequer, Charles O’Malley, Jack Hinton and the Knight of Gwynne). He also illustrated Harrison Ainsworth’s and Frank Smedley’s novels. Mervyn Clitheroe by Ainsworth is one of the most admirable of the artist’s works. Browne was in continual employment by publishers until 1867, when he had a stroke of paralysis. Although he recovered slightly and made many illustrations on wood, they were by comparison inferior productions which the draughtsman’s admirers would willingly ignore. In 1878 he was awarded an annuity by the Royal Academy. He gradually became worse in health, until he died on the 8th of July 1882.
Most of Browne’s work was etched on steel plates because these yielded a far larger edition than copper. Browne was annoyed at some of his etchings being transferred to stone by the publishers and printed as lithographic reproductions. Partly with the view to prevent this treatment of his work he employed a machine to rule a series of lines over the plate in order to obtain what appeared to be a tint; when manipulated with acid this tint gave an effect somewhat resembling mezzotint, which at that time it was found practically impossible to transfer to stone. The illustrations executed by Browne are particularly noteworthy because they realized exactly what the reader most desired to see represented. So skilful was he in drawing and composition that no part of the story was avoided by reason of the elaborateness of the subject. Whatever was the best incident for illustration was always the one selected.
See D. Croal Thomson, Hablôt Knight Browne, “Phiz”: Life and Letters (London, 1884); John Forster, Life of Charles Dickens (London, 1871–1874); F. G. Kitton, “Phiz”: A Memoir (London, 1882); Charles Dickens and his Illustrators (London, 1899); M. H. Spielmann, The History of Punch (London, 1895). (D. C. T.)
BROWNE, ISAAC HAWKINS (1705–1760), English poet, was born on the 21st of January 1705 at Burton-upon-Trent, of which place his father was vicar. He was educated at Lichfield, at Westminster school, and at Trinity College, Cambridge. After taking his M.A. degree he removed to Lincoln’s Inn, and was called to the bar, but never practised. He was the author of “Design and Beauty,” a poem addressed to his friend Joseph Highmore the painter; and of “The Pipe of Tobacco” which parodied Cibber, Ambrose Philips, Thomson, Young, Pope and Swift, who were then all living. He was elected to Parliament through private interest in 1744 and again in 1747 for the borough of Wenlock in Shropshire. In 1754 he published his chief work, De Animi Immortalitate, a Latin poem much admired by the scholars of his time. The best of the many translations of these verses is by Soame Jenyns. Browne is said by Johnson to have been “one of the first wits of this country.” He was a brilliant talker in private life, especially when his tongue was loosed by wine; but he made no mark in public life. He died in London on the 14th of February 1760.
Two editions of his Poems on Various Subjects, Latin and English, were published in 1767 by his son Isaac Hawkins Browne (1745–1818), the author of two volumes of essays on religion and morals. One of these was printed for private circulation, and is said to have contained a memoir. A full account by Andrew Kippis in Biographia Britannica (1780) includes large extracts from his poems.
BROWNE, JAMES (1793–1841), Scottish man of letters, was born at Whitefield, Perthshire, in 1793. He was educated at Edinburgh and at the university of St Andrews, where he studied for the church. He wrote a “Sketch of the History of Edinburgh,” for Ewbank’s Picturesque Views of that city, 1823–1825. In 1826 he became a member of the Faculty of Advocates, and obtained the degree of LL.D. from King’s College, Aberdeen. His works include a Critical Examination of Macculloch’s Work on the Highlands and Islands of Scotland (1826), Aperçu sur les Hiêroglyphes d’Égypte (Paris, 1827), a Vindication of the Scottish Bar from the Attacks of Mr Broughton, and History of the Highlands and Highland Clans (1834–1836). He was appointed editor of the Caledonian Mercury in 1827; and two years later he became sub-editor of the seventh edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, to which he contributed a large number of articles. He died in April 1841.
BROWNE, SIR JAMES (1839–1896), Anglo-Indian engineer and administrator, was the son of Robert Browne of Falkirk in Scotland. He was educated at the military college, Addiscombe, and received a commission in the Bengal engineers in 1857. He served in the expedition against the Mahsud Waziris in 1860, being mentioned in despatches, and in 1863 in the Umbeyla campaign, when he was three times mentioned. In January 1875 he became superintendent of works for the building of the Indus bridge. In 1877 he was promoted lieutenant-colonel, and in 1878–1879 accompanied Sir Donald Stewart as political officer during the Afghan War. He took part in several engagements, was mentioned in despatches, and received the C.B. In 1881 he became colonel, and in 1882 commanded the Indian engineer contingent sent to Egypt, being present at the battle of Tell-el-Kebir. For his services in Egypt he received the 3rd class of the Osmanieh Order and the khedive’s star. In 1884 he was appointed engineer in chief of the Sind-Pishin railway. In 1888 he was made a K.C.S.I, and in 1889 quarter-master-general for India. In 1892 he was appointed agent to the governor-general in Baluchistan, in succession to Sir Robert Sandeman, his intimate experience of the Baluchis, gained during his railway work, having specially fitted him for this post. He died suddenly on the 13th of June 1896. Sir James Browne was a man of splendid courage and physique, and many tales are told of the personal prowess which, together with his sympathetic knowledge of the natives, made him a popular hero among the frontier tribesmen.
See General McLeod Innes, The Life and Times of Sir James Browne (1905).
BROWNE, MAXIMILIAN ULYSSES, Count von, Baron de Camus and Mountany (1705–1757), Austrian field marshal, was born at Basel on the 23rd of October 1705. His father (Ulysses Freiherr v. Browne, d. 1731) was an Irish exile of 1690, who entered the imperial service and in 1716 was made a count
