A report on the work of illustrator James Cope and the printer John Jones in early nineteenth century Wales. Hywel Edwards
MA Design University of Wales Trinity St David
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Contents Introduction 5 Industrial Revolution 5 Printing and John Jones 7 Hugh Hughes 9 James Cope 10 Conclusion 15
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Introduction This essay was inspired by the exhibition ‘Dickens and London’ at the London Museum. What sparked my interest, which led to this report was seeing a murder ballad in print, tucked onto the walls at the end of the exhibition. It was startling to see the ghoulish ephemera as part of the range of printed goods a printer would rely on, as income. Though Peter Lord finds the woodblock and broadsheet revival began in 1757 in Priory Street, Carmarthen with the printing of ‘Can Ynghylch Seren Gynffonog’, I believe there’s a more intriguing professional dialogue between James Cope and John Jones that is of relevance to working practice today. The printed work they created was amongst the finest of its time and bridged the period of Hugh Hughes with ‘Y Cymro’ to the ‘Punch Cymraeg’ in 1858. Inspired by the work of James Cope and working within the framework of the module guidelines, I have created a piece of work which I have placed inside the back cover of this report. Industrial Revolution The early nineteenth century was a period of immense change within Wales, as the Industrial Revolution took hold. Russell Davies in ‘Hope and Heartbreak: A social history of Wales and the Welsh 1776-1871’ points out that in 1801 there were only four towns with a population more than 5,000 people (Carmarthen, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea and Wrexham) and by 1851 the amount of towns with a population greater than 5,000 had reached over twenty. In his book, Russell Davies weaves a vibrant history of the various 5
themes affecting Wales; the industrialist supplying both sides of a European war in 1768, the thousands involved in the Royal Navy1 the emigration of its people, the creeping Enclosure Acts, the network of markets and fairs, the innovation of the Agricultural community and how death was never far away with bad harvests in the early part of the eighteenth century and Cholera outbreaks towards the 1850s. Russell Davies writes - ‘Remarkably, in that dark decade of depression, distress and discontent, 1811-1821, Wales experienced an increase in population of 17.93 per cent. Only that Klondike decade, 1901-1911, experienced a higher decennial percentage increase.2 Together with the advance of the Industrial Revolution went the expansion of Nonconformism, binding the new emerging communities. At the start of the eighteenth century, Nonconformists gathered in huge open-air gatherings, in Aberystwyth in 1809, 7,500 were present at one gathering with over a 1,000 horses3, by 1819 at Bala it was estimated 8/10,000 people attended a gathering with over 3,000 associated horses to be accommodated for.4 The increase of horses an indicator of the growing middle class. One of the leading preachers of this time was Christmas Evans, who interestingly relied on opium to reach a heightened state to captivate his 1 P. 131 Davies, R. 2005 ‘Hope and Heartbreak: A Social History of Wales and the Welsh, 1776-1871’ University of Wales Press, Cardiff 2 P34 Davies, R. 2005 ‘Hope and Heartbreak: A Social History of Wales and the Welsh, 1776-1871’ University of Wales Press, Cardiff 3 P.330 Davies, R. 2005 ‘Hope and Heartbreak: A Social History of Wales and the Welsh, 1776-1871’ University of Wales Press, Cardiff 4 P.329 Davies, R. 2005 ‘Hope and Heartbreak: A Social History of Wales and the Welsh, 1776-1871’ University of Wales Press, Cardiff
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congregation1 A few families had emigrated in the late eighteenth century, fleeing religious persecution. For most of the nineteenth century there was a tremendous growth amongst the nonconformists, moving from out-door gatherings to building chapels in the later half of the century, driven by bad harvests in the 1800s to outbreaks of cholera. Printing and John Jones The first printing press in Wales appeared in 1587, in a cave near Llandudno, where ‘Y Drych Cristnogol’ was printed by Catholics. Also in London, in 1587, the first bilingual ballad sheet was recorded2 The Jones family press was built by Dafydd Jones when he was aged 733 from the second hand parts of the Lewis Morris press, (which Lewis Morris had built by public subscription in 17354). Dafydd Jones was a chapelgoer, poet and friend to many of the poets of North Wales. The Jones printing press was initially based in Trefriw. After the death of Dafydd Jones, the press moved to Bryn Pyll, the home of his son Ismael Davies. Gerald Morgan notes that this period of the family press, went without little investment and erratic print quality. John Jones was born in 1788 he was apprenticed in Liverpool, before his own name appeared on the work of the family press in 1811. Gerald Morgan believes, John Jones’ time in Liverpool may well have inspired him to re1 P.203 Davies, R. 2005 ‘Hope and Heartbreak: A Social History of Wales and the Welsh, 1776-1871’ University of Wales Press, Cardiff 2 P. 87 Lord, P. 1995 ‘Words with Pictures: Welsh Images and Images of Wales in The Popular Press, 1640-1860’ Planet 3 P. 6 Morgan, G. 1982 ‘Y Dyn A Wnaeth Argraff: Bywyd a Gwaith yr Argraffydd Jynod John Jones, Llanrwst’ Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst 4 P. 29 Lord, P. 1995 ‘Words with Pictures: Welsh Images and Images of Wales in The Popular Press, 1640-1860’ Planet
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invigorate the press and like his grandfather was a poet and friend to many in North Wales. Having spotted the plans of a new press design by Alexander Ruthven in 1813, Gerald Morgan notes he had built three by 18171. John Jones had begun printing significant volumes and by 1812 he had printed ‘Blwch Caniadau’ a volume of poetry of 96 pages, by 1815 a Dictionary of 460 pages. In 1816 he published ‘Mawl Yr Arglwydd’ a hymn book for Methodists. Interestingly, Gerald Morgan notes, on that occasion John acted as a printer, John Ellis the publisher and copper plates used for the printing, created in England. A huge portion of his customers were the Nonconformists and the range of printed goods diverse;- books, ballad sheets, almanacs, broadsheets and pamphlets2. Educational magazines for Sunday schools in 1827 and miniature religious books between 1835-18453. By 1824 John Jones married Jane Evans of Trefriw, they settled in Llanrwst, where Jane would run a ‘paper room’ at the front of the house and John would run the printing press in the backroom.
1 http://wbo.llgc.org.uk/en/s3-JONE-JOH-1786.html 2 P. 13 Morgan, G. 1982 ‘Y Dyn A Wnaeth Argraff: Bywyd a Gwaith yr Argraffydd Jynod John Jones, Llanrwst’ Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst 3 P. 19 Morgan, G. 1982 ‘Y Dyn A Wnaeth Argraff: Bywyd a Gwaith yr Argraffydd Jynod John Jones, Llanrwst’ Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst
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Hugh Hughes Hugh Hughes was a pivotal figure in the emergence of the Welsh popular press. Peter Lord finds - ‘Hughes was responsible for almost all the earliest popular book illustrations and for the first regular use of illustrations in periodicals1’. An artisan painter, Hughes traveled widely and used many printers for popular press work, amongst which in 1821 Hugh Hughes illustrated and paid for the printing of ‘Tiroedd Y Gwragedd’ from John Jones. As Peter Lord speculates, though little documentation exists of Hughes and Cope meeting formally, there is every chance they did so, also that he was crucial in transforming the preacher into an icon within the emerging Welsh middle class2. One of Hughes’ most striking printed images comes in 1830 as he creates the cover illustration for ‘Y Cymro’, an image depicting a Wales at ease with the advancing Industrial Revolution. Peter Lord defines the ‘Y Cymro’ illustration as ‘the summation of his use of the wood engraving as a means of enlightening the common people on matters of religion, Welsh history and general knowledge3’. After this he would be later involved with ‘Y Seren Ogleddol’ in 1835 and contributing to ‘Papur Newydd Cymraeg’ in 18364.
1 P. 15 Lord, P. 1995 ‘Words with Pictures: Welsh Images and Images of Wales in The Popular Press, 1640-1860’ Planet 2 P. 22 Lord, P. 1992 ‘The Aesthetics of Relevance’ Gomer Press 3 P. 211 Lord, P. 2000 ‘The Visual Culture of Wales: Imaging the Nation’ University of Wales Press, cardiff 4 http://wbo.llgc.org.uk/en/s-HUGH-HUG-1790.html
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James Cope Little is known of James Cope other than what remains of his woodblocks. When Gerald Morgan wrote his book “Y Dyn A Wnaeth Argraff’ in 1982, Cope is mentioned briefly. By 1995, in ‘Words with Pictures’ Peter Lord fleshes out a few more details regarding Cope. He was born in Caernarfonshire in 1805/6, married Jane in 1825 and by 1841 James and Jane would be raising three children. James Copes’ most prolific period would be between 1830s-1840s, after this period there is very little information about James Cope. Interestingly Gerald Morgan finds John Jones’ most successful period was between 1826-18441, a period which captures the greatest amount of work James Cope creates and produces mostly with John Jones. A huge portion of his creative output would be illustrating the Bible, in which the website ‘Imaging the Bible in Wales’2 has ten examples of his work, the majority, though not all were published by John Jones. Also the website highlights works inspired by his woodblocks and later pieces that feature selected cropped elements.
1 P. 18 Morgan, G. 1982 ‘Y Dyn A Wnaeth Argraff: Bywyd a Gwaith yr Argraffydd Jynod John Jones, Llanrwst’ Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst 2 http://imagingthebible.llgc.org.uk/person/308
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Gallery of James Copes’ work 1
Adda ac Efa Yn Ngardd Eden
by James Cope, c. 1832-42, published by John Jones
With the popular press distributing religious imagery widely, Peter Lord discovers similarities between Copes’ work and Edward Hicks. James Cope was living in north Wales and interestingly Hicks was in north-eastern United States1. 1 P. 100 Lord, P. 1995 ‘Words with Pictures: Welsh Images and Images of Wales in The Popular Press, 1640-1860’ Planet
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Hanes Y Lleuad
by James Cope c. 1836-42, published by John Jones
A fascinating image as it’s quite possibly Wales’ first science fiction illustration. The piece illustrates a story that originated in 1835, where in New York it was reported the eminent astronomer Sir John Herschell had witnessed strange human-like creatures on the surface of the moon. This story caused a sensation around the world and John Jones translated it and had this illustration by Cope at the very start of the book. 12
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Galarnad Er Cof am Amaethwr parchus...
possibly by James Cope, published by John Jones - 1840
The only murder broadsheet linked to James Cope. Peter Lord describes it ‘it would not be difficult to account for this exception since the murder involved supernatural forces which would have appealed to Cope’s gothic imagination.1’ A great shame it’s the only one as John Jones printed other murder sheets. 1 P. 110 Lord, P. 1995 ‘Words with Pictures: Welsh Images and Images of Wales in The Popular Press, 1640-1860’ Planet
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Y Tories yn cael eu cymeryd adref at eu teulu c. 1834-6
A self published piece, I find it a potent political satire of it’s time. A variation on the visual elements in this piece can be seen in ‘Blwyddyn newydd dda i John Bull’ c. 1834-1836. After this piece Cope would move on to having strong views on the temperance movement. 14
Conclusion After 1845 business began to wane, there was competition with print shops opening closer to John Jones, causing some financial worries but Gerald Morgan believes Johns’ finest printed volume would be his last, ‘Gronoviana’ 1860, which included the efforts of several family members in its production. John Jones passed away in 1865. (Printing continued in the family till 1935, when items were dispersed between the National Library in Aberystwyth and Science Museum in London.) Very little is known of what became of James Cope and his family. What is remarkable is the work he left behind; moving from intricate religious imagery, to political satires, via science fiction illustration. With this differing approaches in image making; from making the image up from several smaller pieces, like ‘Y Byd Helbulus a’r Nefoedd Hapus’ c. 1832-1842 to the large ‘Adda ac Efa Yn Ngardd Eden’ c.1832-1842, a single image built up from six smaller blocks. It wasn’t until 1858 that there would be such potent imagery in Wales with the arrival of ‘Y Punch Cymraeg’ where Elis Owen Ellis would be in charge of the visual output. Within this module, I have used this opportunity to create a visual piece. taking the inspiration from a work by James Cope and juxtaposing it with images from the Creative Commons account of the National Library of Wales and at this point, as reader it will not be very far away from you. 15
This essay has answered the initial exercise of not only discovering a Welsh context to mainstream printing in the early part of the nineteenth century, but highlighting two individuals who led fruitful lives amongst nonconformist North Wales. There were other printers operating during this time working with illustrators; John Evans in Carmarthen and Isaac Thomas in Cardigan, but the work they output, doesn’t quite have the distinctive quality that James Cope and John Jones achieved in my opinion.
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Bibliography Morgan, G. 1982 ‘Y Dyn A Wnaeth Argraff: Bywyd a Gwaith yr Argraffydd Hynod John Jones, Llanrwst’ Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst Lord, P.
2000 ‘The Visual Culture of Wales: Imaging the Nation’ University of Wales Press, Cardiff
Lord, P.
1995 ‘Words with Pictures:Welsh Images and Images of Wales in The Popular Press, 1640-1860’ Planet
Lord, P.
1992 ‘The Aesthetics of Relevance’ Gomer Press
Davies, R. 2005 ‘Hope and Heartbreak: A Social History of Wales and the Welsh, 1776-1871’ University of Wales Press, Cardiff
Websites National Library of Wales - John Jones biography - http://wbo.llgc.org.uk/en/s3-JONE-JOH-1786.html National Library of Wales - Hugh Hughes biography - http://wbo.llgc.org.uk/en/s-HUGH-HUG-1790.html Imaging the Bible - James Cope portfolio James Cope - http://imagingthebible.llgc.org.uk//person/310
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