Shedding light on truth in Brighton

. Jack o’ Lantern first issue cover by John Charles Dollman published by John Beal in 1868 At the British Library I came across this issue of Jack o’ Lantern dated 24 October 1868. It has the feel of a modern-day zine but this was a professional publication from a Brighton stationer, John Beal. Exploring the cover shows it was signed by Signed by ‘JC Dollman’ and ‘Thompson’. This to a led to a surprising find – it was drawn by John Charles Dollman, a famous Victorian artist, when he was just 17! Dollman (1851-1934) was born in Hove, the neighbouring borough to Brighton. He left for London to study at South Kensington and the Royal Academy Schools before establishing a studio in Bedford Park. His paintings were shown at the Royal Academy until 1912 and he worked as an illustrator for The Graphic. He often painted animals and ‘A London Cab Stand’ (1888) is one of is most popular paintings. The cover declares that Jack o’ Lantern was ‘published occasionally’, ‘for the Brighton season’ by…