In the spirit of the New Year, our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editorial Assistant, Chloe Haney, is an illustration by William Harvey titled “The Birth of the New Year”. Published 180 years ago in The Illustrated London News (ILN), it made up part of the paper’s New Year celebrations for 1846.
As one of the earliest illustrated newspapers in Britain, the ILN was a pioneer of the format. It often included elaborate artworks in its pages, sometimes replicating celebrated classical pieces, and other times commissioning or purchasing illustrations from contemporary artists.
William Harvey was an illustrator and wood-engraver whose artworks were published by the ILN several times throughout its early years. An accomplished artist, the ILN included a short biography of Harvey in their “History of Wood-Engraving”, published on 1 June 1944, in which they outlined his career and praised his skills.
“The Birth of the New Year” was illustrated by Harvey and engraved by Edward Dalziel, who was a member of the successful wood-engraving business, the Brothers Dalziel. As was the case with Harvey, works by the Brothers Dalziel appeared frequently in early editions of the ILN.
“The Birth of the New Year” was based upon a poem of the same title, which featured on the previous page of this edition of the ILN. As per the poem, Harvey’s elaborate illustration depicts the new year as a new born baby, being handed by its mother (“Proud Nature”) to an elderly man (“Winter King”). Above them, being pointed to by the mother, are three women, representative of spring, summer, and autumn. Both the poem and the illustration emphasise the movement of time, personifying the year as a growing child who will move through the seasons as a human moves through the stages of life. A poetic interpretation of time, “The Birth of the New Year” looks forward to the passing of winter, and to the coming of the gentler seasons.
Where to find this document
This document is from our collection, The Illustrated London News, 1842–2003. This comprehensive resource covers over 150 years, facilitating examination of an almost endless variety of historical events, concepts, and themes, British and otherwise. The extensive back catalogues of the ILN’s nine so-called “sister” titles are also available to explore on BOA’s digital archive. Visit the collection page to learn more.
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