Mark Lemon
Mark Lemon was a prominent English writer and editor, born on November 30, 1809, in London. He became notably recognized as the first editor of "Punch," a popular humor magazine that debuted in 1841. Lemon's early life included experiences in farming and brewing, and he initially ventured into writing with contributions to various publications under the pseudonym Tom Moody. His talent for humor and commentary on societal issues was evident in his serialized fiction and articles.
Lemon played a crucial role in shaping "Punch" by advocating for provocative content that addressed political and social matters, which significantly boosted the magazine's popularity. Throughout his career, he also wrote plays, children's stories, and collaborated with notable contemporaries, including Charles Dickens. Despite a successful career, his relationships, particularly with Dickens, faced strains over creative differences. Mark Lemon passed away on May 23, 1870, in Sussex, leaving a legacy as a key figure in 19th-century British literary humor. His work continues to be acknowledged for its insights and character-driven narratives, even though some critiques highlighted limitations in his fictional writing.
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Mark Lemon
- Born: November 30, 1809
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: May 23, 1870
- Place of death: Crawley, Sussex, England
Biography
Mark Lemon was born on November 30, 1809, in London, the son of merchant Martin Lemon and Alice Collis Lemon. After his father died in 1817, Lemon stayed with his paternal grandparents on their farm in Hendon. Moving to Surrey, Lemon boarded at Cheam School. He next resided at Boston in Lincolnshire with his mother’s brother, Thomas Collis, who taught Lemon how to sell hops, which proved useful when Lemon settled in Soho in 1836. His mother had remarried, and Lemon secured employment in his new brother-in-law’s brewery.
Lemon enjoyed writing humorous verses and articles. The New Sporting Magazine began publishing Lemon’s writing in 1834 under the pseudonym Tom Moody and continued printing his work through 1837. Later that year, Charles Dickens accepted Lemon’s writing for Bentley’s Miscellany. In addition to magazine publications, Lemon wrote plays for London theaters. The Strand Theatre featured Lemon’s play, The P.L: Or, Thirty Strand, in April,1836. Lemon next created a drama that actors from the Surrey Theatre performed in the summer of 1836. Two years later, Lemon wrote Rob of the Fen with Frank Romer for the English Opera House.
Lemon married Helen Romer, his coauthor’s sister, on September 28, 1839, and they had seven daughters and three sons. He continued working at the brewery until it closed in 1840. Lemon briefly secured a job managing the Shakespeare’s Head tavern, which many London writers and artists patronized. Lemon discussed employment possibilities with writing colleague Henry Mayhew, and he met Ebenezer Landells, who asked Lemon to edit Punch, a new weekly humor magazine, with Mayhew.
Lemon wrote an introductory essay in the debut issue of Punch, which appeared on July 17, 1841. He invested money from his plays to boost the magazine’s poor sales. In addition to funding, Lemon contributed content, particularly serialized fiction, to attract readers. By the end of 1842, the publishing firm of Bradbury and Evans purchased Punch and designated Lemon its only editor. In this position, he secured notable writers and cartoonists, and his decision to print provocative material, critically discussing political, social, and labor issues and mocking royalty, appealed to customers and increased sales. Lemon convinced writers and artists from competing publications to work for Punch. He briefly edited several smaller periodicals and annually contributed Christmas content to his childhood friend Herbert Ingram’s Illustrated London News.
Lemon also wrote novels, mostly for young readers, starting with The Enchanted Doll: A Fairy Tale for Little People in 1849. In addition to creating fairy tales and historical stories, he collected his serialized fiction in books. Lemon and Dickens wrote the playMr Nightingale’s Diary and performed in it together. Despite their friendship, Lemon rejected material Dickens prepared for Punch in 1858, and they were estranged for almost a decade. In May, 1858, Lemon bought Vine Cottage at Crawley in Sussex. He died there on May 23, 1870.
While reviewers praised Lemon’s humorous journalistic writing and insights, they considered his fictional style poor and formulaic in comparison. His children’s stories promoted moral lessons and often omitted realities, but his literary strengths included his characterization and dialogue.