Page:The Strand Magazine (Volume 4).djvu/590

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596
THE STRAND MAGAZINE.

the room occupied by Mr. Newnes's private secretary, Mr. William Plank—a smaller, but still a good sized room, fitted and furnished in much the same manner, on a minor scale. From this the corridor is reached through a smaller room—the "White Room"—occupied at busy times, as Tit-Bits press day, by Mr. Newnes's editorial assistants. Here they are close at hand to the chief and secure from casual interruption.


Mr. Newnes's office (general view).


The private secretary's room.

At the opposite side of the corridor stands the Art Gallery—a place open every day, and all day, to the inspection of whomsoever may like to inspect.

The Art Gallery. which consists of two rooms, is devoted to the exhibition of the original drawings for the illustrations which have appeared in The Strand Magazine. A large ottoman stands in the middle of the first room, the dull crimson of whose walls is only just visible near the ceiling, above the close covering of pictures.

The second room opens from this on the left, and contains, in addition to its many drawings, a sideboard, whereupon are displayed a set of the carved electro blocks used for printing the various colours in one picture in the Million. Of the hundreds of clever drawings hanging in these two rooms it is impossible to say more than that they include some of the best examples of the work of such artists as Sidney Paget, W. H. J. Boot, Gordon Browne, Paul Hardy, H. R. Millar, J. A. Shepherd, J. F. Sullivan, Jean de Paléologue, J. L. Wimbush, Louis Wain, W. B. Wollen, W. Christian Symons, G. C. Haite, A. Forrestier, W. Stacey, Harrison Weir, Frank Feller, J. Gülich, and A. Pearse; with many others of like abilities. All these drawings are offered for sale; but whether a possible purchaser or not, the passer-by will