Figure 1.--"Chatterbox" illustrations normally depict children from comfortable middle class families, This boy wears a Norfolk suit with a boater hat and Eton collar. The illustrator wa not indicated. The illustration was from a 1908 issue.

We have varying reports as to the illustrayions in Chatterbox. One report indicates that it was lavishly illustrated, especially after the turn of the 20th century when the technology for lothographic printing improved. Illustrations in the 19th century were mostly black and white line drawings. We note the 1908 annual. There is virtually no photographs but many illustrations are in ink and about 8 colour plates and a color cover illustration. Many of the illustrations are noteworthy as they depict boyswear and British school uniforms of the day. The 1921 edition had a color frontispiece and several other color plates plus a great many black and white and engravings in a book of 317 pages. We are unsure about the illustrators as most of the illustrations were unsigned. A HBC reader tells us that the 1955 edition that he has was "rather lacking in illustrations". Normally the illustrators were not idebtified. This was not only in Chatterbox, but in most of the other annuals as well. The illustrations normally depict children from comfortable middle class families and do not refflect a range of childhood experiences. Working class children were rarely depicted.

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Created: March 4, 2003
Last updated: March 4, 2003