The Daily Chronicle

Fleet Street, London

The Daily Chronicle was a national Liberal daily newspaper with a circulation of over 1 million copies in 1905 when Blampied was selected to work for its Art Department by the Principal of Lambeth College of Art, where he was studying. The paper's Art Department was run by Stephen Reid, a well-known Scottish illustrator, with whom Blampied lived for a while in 1905. The newspaper cut its price from 1 penny to a half-penny in 1905, which greatly boosted its circulation. It was published every day of the week, including Sunday, and there was a weekend paper called Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper. Both papers had been established by Edward Lloyd.

The daily newspaper used artists to provide illustrations for its features page, typically on page 8, and for the decorative borders to banner headlines and the occasional photograph. Blampied started work on 4th December 1904 for a weekly wage of 35 shillings, but resigned after 5 weeks for unknown reasons. He re-joined the paper on 11th July 1905 at a weekly wage of 2 guineas, an increase of 12 shillings a week, so perhaps money was the issue. Blampied's drawings appeared in the newspaper until December 1906 with gaps from March-August 1905 and March-June 1906. His last drawing appeared in the Christmas Number of the paper in 1906, although a decorative banner was reprinted in 1908. All 2,548 issues of the newspaper from 1905 to 1911 have been searched, so Blampied only worked for The Daily Chronicle and Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper for two years.

Drawing by Blampied in Daily Chronicle in August 1906.

What Blampied did to earn a living from 1907 until 1911 is unknown. He reported that he had been very poor. I suspect that he worked for another newspaper, rather than for a magazine. There were many daily and weekly newspapers printed in London in those days, too many to identify and search, and single copies rarely survive. Magazines on the other hand tend to be more substantial and are more likely to survive, so their content can be noted by book dealers and collectors. Blampied may also not have been allowed to sign his work. There was no census between 1901, when he was living in Jersey, and 1911, when the paper trail of illustrations begins again, and the 1911 census has him living with his brother Wilford and wife in south London. All that is known is that he started evening classes in the art of etching in 1909, at Bolt Court, the London County Council School of Phto-engraving and Lithography, where he had studied in the academic year 1905-06. In 1906 Blampied was 20 years old and living in London - where and doing what, is not known.

Published: 1872-1930

Price: 1d then ½ d

Numbering: Sequential, by issue.

Pages: 12 in 1905.

Dimensions: not recorded; broadsheet.

Editor: Robert Donald from 1904.

Printer: not recorded.

Blampied issues: 35.

Type: MO = monochrome drawing; the number indicates the number of drawings or pages.

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— 1905 —

Issue: 13-Jan-1905, no. 13380, page 8. Price: 1d. Type: MO3. Title: Ski-running and its possibilities. Author: L.P.

[This is thought to be the first illustration by Blampied to appear in print for which he was paid.]

Issue: 13-Jan-1905, no. 13380, page 8. Price: 1d. Type: MO1. Title: The Queen of Gibson Girls. Author: L.P.

[The Gibson Girls were pretty women drawn in pen and ink by the American artist Charles Dana Gibson between 1890 and 1910. They were inspired by his four sisters. Blampied's decorations emulate his style.]

Issue: 18-Jan-1905, no. 13384, page 8. Price: 1d. Type: MO1. Title: Mr Geo Alexander and his double.

Issue: 22-Feb-1905, no. 13414, page 8. Price: 1d. Type: MO1. Title: Lady Teynham in fancy dress as ‘The Cherry Girl’.

Issue: 21-Sep-1905, no. 13595, page 8. Price: 1d. Type: MO1. Title: Unmasked at Last.. Author: Headon Hill.

Issue: 21-Sep-1905, no. 13595, page 8. Price: 1d. Type: MO1. Title: The late Dr Barnado and his work.

Issue: 18-Oct-1905, no. 13618, page 5. Price: 1d. Type: MO1. Title: The Men who Made Kingsway.

Issue: 23-Nov-1905, no. 13649, page 8. Price: 1d. Type: MO1. Title: Graceful Lady Golfers at Play.

Issue: 25-Nov-1905, no. 13651, page 3. Price: 1d. Type: MO1. Title: Christmas Books for the Children.

— 1906 —

Issue: 3-Jan-1906, no. 13684, page 10. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: The Candidates for the French Presidency.

Issue: 5-Jan-1906, no. 13686, page 10. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: The New Tramway under Kingsway.

Issue: 7-Jan-1906, no. 13687, page 10. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: France’s Woman Barristers.

Issue: 8-Jan-1906, no. 13688, page 10. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: The decline of the masquerade.

Issue: 10-Jan-1906, no. 13690, page 10. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: Suggestions for skating costumes.

Issue: 17-Jan-1906, no. 13696, page 10. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: Pretty frocks for musical evenings.

Issue: 19-Jan-1906, no. 13698, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: The Moroccan Peace Conference.

Issue: 25-Jan-1906, no. 13703, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: The girl at the wheel.

Issue: 2-Feb-1906, no. 13710, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: Photographs from Biarritz.

Issue: 6-Feb-1906, no. 13713, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: A picturesque river-sdei inn.

Issue: 8-Feb-1906, no. 13715, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: The London County Council in Paris.

Issue: 9-Feb-1906, no. 13716, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: The new French President.

Issue: 27-Feb-1906, no. 13731, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: Vauxhall Bridge.

[Vauxhall Bridge was opened on 26th May 1906, five years behind schedule.]

Issue: 18-Jul-1906, no. 13852, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: Celebrities in "the Row".

[These may be the first of Blampied's drawings of horses ever published. The drawing is initialled 'EB' discretely to the right of the vertical divider, near the top.]

Issue: 23-Jul-1906, no. 13856, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: Fashions for the seaside.

Issue: 30-Jul-1906, no. 13862, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: For Cowes Week.

Issue: 31-Jul-1906, no. 13863, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: The Training of a Motor-Bus Driver.

Issue: 2-Aug-1906, no. 13865, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: Beautiful Jersey.

[The reference to 'Jersey cabbages 10 feet high' is to a popular song with that title: For the streets are paved with granite so neat and clean; Lots of pretty, witty girls here may be seen; A brave bold Militia our foes to defy; 'Tis here we grow cabbages ten feet high. The song was written and composed by George Ware and published by W.H. Milne, 37 Halkett Place, Jersey.]

Issue: 8-Aug-1906, no. 13870, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: The Sin of David. Author: Loring, Andrew

Issue: 9-Aug-1906, no. 13871, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: For Country House Visiting.

Issue: 10-Aug-1906, no. 13872, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: Isle of Wight.

Issue: 15-Sep-1906, no. 13904, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: Music and the Drama (decoration to a banner headline).

Issue: 20-Sep-1906, no. 13907, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: Leading characters in "The Bondman".

Issue: 27-Sep-1906, no. 13913, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: None.

Issue: 12-Oct-1906, no. 13926, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: At work on the new Old Bailey.

Issue: 2-Nov-1906, no. 13944, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: 'Maryland' the Fells Farm Colony in Essex.

Issue: Dec-1906, no. Xmas Number 1906, page 13-15. Price: 1 d. Type: MO2. Title: Miranda and the Mistletoe. Author: Geo. R. Sims. [This was a large 40 page magazine, 370 x 265 mm, printed on cheap, rough newspaper. Only the first drawing is intialled, E.B., so it assumed that the second drawing is by Blampied too.]

— 1908 —

Issue: 4-Apr-1908, no. 14389, page 8. Price: ½ d. Type: MO1. Title: Music and the Drama (decoration to a banner headline).