Review by Frank Plowright
The Foreign Tour of Brown, Jones and Robinson is a book raising questions about what constitutes a graphic novel. It certainly wasn’t considered that when published in 1854 by illustrator Richard Doyle, uncle of Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and if dialogue balloons form an essential indicator of the comics form, then this isn’t comics. The cartooning fashion in the 19th century was to have lines of dialogue typeset underneath an engraved illustration, which is the template followed here, yet while there are no panels and borders, there’s a definite continuity to the illustrations. The sample art features a sequence with Brown’s dog, and fourteen numbered panels detail another incident beginning with the dog.
Without knowledge of social history, it’s to be presumed that Brown, Jones and Robinson would be recognisable as representing at least relative wealth to be able to travel abroad in the first place as young men seeking to expand their horizons. Unfortunately, as recorded in sketches provided by Brown as their journey progresses, beautiful views are rare and sights overcrowded, while they seem to run into fellow Englishmen everywhere, never good company. While the English abroad complaining whenever anything differs from home has a long and unfortunate history, some of Doyle’s comments about European people and places are also mildly inflammatory.
Rather gentle satirical and observational humour combined with slapstick is the overall tone, presumably aimed at British folk of the 1850s who couldn’t afford to travel, and hadn’t been conscripted to fight in the Crimea or put down a mutiny in India. Mishaps befall the trio as their Rhine cruise takes them through an assortment of European nations, and while Brown and Jones are amenable, Robinson is presented as entitled and prone to pomposity-pricking pratfalls.
Doyle’s art is a mixed bag. Better illustrations are packed with life and comedic embellishments, and some full pages might have been prepared for a more sedate travel diary as Doyle impresses with his crosshatched shading and variety of people. He also presents impressive lively full page cartoons so busy that annotations and explanations are required. Other illustrations are seemingly dashed off without as much care as if genuinely captured by Brown sitting atop the protective covering of a boat’s paddle wheel.
While much of the humour has dated, some still strikes home as a worthwhile gag. A full page of the trio heading up a relatively narrow mountain pass shows them faced with a herd of cows coming down with the beautifully understated caption of “What are they to do now?” A variation is supplied several pages later involving donkeys about to meet.
From a 21st century perspective some historical aspects are strange, not least much of Italy under Austrian control, while some archaic spellings also surprise.
The Foreign Tour of Brown, Jones and Robinson proved very popular back in the day, with several 19th century printings both in Britain and the USA, and new editions in 1904 and 1972. With copyright having long lapsed, facsimile editions printed on demand can be found online, but your best bet is the complete online publication at Comic Book +.
