Friends of Hastings Cemetery

Furniss lived at High Wickham ( no 8,which is now no 12) in Hastings Old Town from 1904 until his death in 1925.  He also had a studio at East Cliff House.

On some projects, like his illustrations for G. E. Farrow's Wallypug books, Furniss collaborated with his daughter, fellow artist Dorothy Furniss (1879–1944)

When he died there were various drawings, caricatures, book illustrations etc which were lying in his old house here in Hastings [where the artist was living at the time of his death].  Unfortunately they were in great confusion and had been rather badly neglected but there was a total of around 3000 items!

Furniss Talks

30/04/1891

The well-known personality Harry Furniss gave a talk at the Public Hall in Robertson Street.

Harry Furniss Again

From the Hastings News of 20/01/1893

The popular local personality Harry Furniss put on a two-day performance at the Royal Concert Hall, Warrior Gardens, on 16 and 17 January. The “clever caricaturist” was exhibiting his series of “amusing drawings”.

British caricaturist and illustrator, best known for his political and social lampoons.
Mainly self-taught, he settled in London in 1873 and, before turning wholly to free-lance work in 1894, became very popular as a staff artist for The Illustrated London News (1876-84) and Punch. In his parliamentary cartoons he emphasized idiosyncrasies of face and dress: an amusing example is the strip cartoon "Getting Gladstone's Collar Up." He also designed a famous commercial "tramp" poster for a brand of soap ("I used your soap two years ago and have not used any other since"). Strongly critical of the Royal Academy, he held in 1887 an exhibition of parodies of the work of leading Burlington House exhibitors, and in 1890 published Royal Academy Antics. He was also a novelist, essayist, and writer of art instructional manuals.

He was very short (and broad, he says).  He wrote and illustrated his travels in America and Australia.  He was often confused with Harold Furniss, who was also apparently a caricaturist, and a journalist, illustrator, and collector of criminal literature.

• "Altogether, his was a life of extraordinary industry.  He will be remembered as a most fertile delineator of the Victorian scene.” - The Times
• “He was full of energy and enterprise, full of fire and spirit, of fun and robust spirit, of powerful feelings, honest ambitions and unfailing resources” - Magazine of Art

Alan Coren, the Editor of Punch, at the time of the proposal to remove gravestones under https://friendsofhastingscemetery.org.uk/77order.html wrote a letter in support of preserving Ffurniss’s headstone, saying he was a leading figure at Punch for about 30 years, and one of Punch’s best-known contributors.  He subsequently wrote to Peter Fuller of The Local History Research Group, to congratulate him on his work in getting this, and other notables stones, preserved.