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The phrase a picture is worth a thousand words, and its variants, mean: a picture conveys far more than words.
The earliest occurrence of this phrase that I have found is—as a picture tells more than printed words—from How to Use the Reading Room, published in The Huntington Democrat (Huntington, Indiana, USA) of Thursday 20th September 1877 [page 2, column 5]:
There are a few people who, when they go into a reading room, know just what they want, and look over the files at a glance and find it. But people in general, like ladies in a dry good store, do not know just exactly what they do want, and to them a few suggestions may be a help. The illustrated papers should be looked over by every one each week. A picture tells more than printed words. Perhaps the three best illustrated weeklies in the world are the London Illustrated News, Harper’s Weekly and Frank Leslie’s Weekly.
During the preceding decade (from 1866 to 1876), the notion expressed by the phrase had been used with specific reference to pictures drawn by the German-born U.S. political cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840-1902)—these are, in chronological order, the occurrences that I have found:
1-: From the Nebraska Herald (Plattsmouth, Nebraska, USA) of Wednesday 5th September 1866 [page 3, column 2]:
If you want to see a picture that tells more than a whole volume of print, get a copy of Harper’s Weekly for Sept. 1st. The Weekly is a sound paper, and should be in the hands of every man in the United States. Those who can’t read print can read the pictures, which tell a tale and perpetuaet [sic] history.
2-: From The Hancock Jeffersonian (Findlay, Ohio, USA) of Friday 28th September 1866 [page 3, column 3]:
Thomas Nast is the engraver of those truthful pictures which adorn Harper’s Weekly—pictures which tell more in their silent way, and point a stronger moral than could a hundred stump orators. The Copperheads don’t like them—they consider them as rather Nasty in their bearing toward their party.
3-: From a comment on a political cartoon by Thomas Nast, published in the Racine Journal (Racine, Wisconsin, USA) of Wednesday 17th April 1872 [page 2, column 2]:
The picture tells more than a volume, and shows great breadth and power of genius.
4-: From The Lancaster Daily Intelligencer (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA) of Monday 2nd October 1876 [page 2, column 2]:
Thomas Nast has in the number of Harper’s Weekly dated to-day a double page picture which tells more plainly than could columns of editorials the true issues of the presidential campaign.
Even earlier, the expression thousand words had occurred in relation to something that is as expressive as, or more expressive than, a superfluity of words—these are, in chronological order, the earliest occurrences that I have found:
1-: From The Story of La Roche, by the Scottish novelist, playwright, poet and editor Henry Mackenzie (1745-1831), published in Adam’s Weekly Courant (Chester, Cheshire, England) of Tuesday 20th September 1785 [page 4, column 1]:
A Number of La Roche’s Parishioners, who had heard of his Return, came to the House to see and welcome him. The honest Folks were awkward but sincere in their Professions of Regard.—They made some Attempts at Condolence;—it was too delicate for their Handling; but La Roche took it in good Part. “It has pleased God,” said he; and they saw he had settled the Matter with himself.—Philosophy could not have done so much with a thousand Words.
2-: From a review of The Fair Penitent, a tragedy performed at Covent Garden, London, published in The Globe (London, England) of Wednesday 23rd October 1805 [page 3, column 4]:
The proud Calista was given with uncommon energy by Mrs. Siddons. In the scene with Horatio, where she tears the letter, her looks spoke ten thousand words, and her action displayed uncommon beauties.
3-: From Case of Admiral Baudin, published in the New-York Evening Post (New York City, New York, USA) of Monday 24th April 1809 [page 2, column 4]:
FRANCE has never expressed any sorrow for the outrage committed, never disavowed the conduct of Admiral Baudin, never offered to make any reparation, either there or here, nor has she ever made any.
These facts are louder than ten thousand words. And yet there is a party in our country who have been incessantly striving to involve us in a war with Great-Britain, and intangle [sic] us in an alliance with France.
4-: From Oakwood House; an Original Novel, published in La Belle Assemblée; Being Bell’s Court and Fashionable Magazine, Addressed particularly to the Ladies (London, England) of January 1811 [page 25, column 2]:
I was shewn the famous horn of Ulphus, King of the western part of Divra; the title-deed by which the church holds lands of great value to this day. The two sons of Ulphus quarrelling about the succession to his estate, he determined to shew no partiality to either. He repaired to York, taking with him the horn, out of which he usually drank, and filling it with wine, he knelt down before the altar, drank it off, and piously defrauded them both, by giving the horn, with all his possessions, to God and St. Peter; and leaving, as was customary in these cases, the dignitaries of the church executors and residuary legatees. They have found this summary way of conveying an estate as good as twenty skins of parchment and forty thousand words.
5-: From a poem “In imitation of the First Part of Lord Byron’s Giaour”, by ‘Candidus’, published in The Windsor and Eton Express (Windsor, Berkshire, England) of Sunday 7th November 1813 [page 3, column 5]:
Though suppress’d, that groan told more
Of inward anguish, fear, despair,
Than thousand words of labour’d lore—
Even than the dying sinner’s prayer.
6-: From Meditation among the Tombs, in The Voyages and Travels of Columbus Secundus.—Part II, by ‘Thomas Thumb’, published in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine (Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland) of June 1821 [chapter 3, page 333, column 1]:
I am happy to observe, that several individuals, who think shrubs and flowers are fully as ornamental as rank grass, nettles, and hemlock, have dressed up the little spots intended for their last repose in a very becoming manner. I would therefore suggest, for the consideration of those who have the power of carrying improvements into execution, that all the churchyards should be carefully levelled, and divided by walks into long dormitories of six or eight feet in breadth, edged with box or other ornamental border; and that the friends of the deceased should, for so many years, have the liberty of planting such shrubs or flowers over the little spots where their friends were interred, as they should judge proper.
Were this plan to be carried into execution, instead of hillocks formed of human bones and fragments of coffins, our cemeteries would present the appearance of a large garden, in which the contemplative might walk and peruse the lettered monuments with some degree of comfort. A laurel bush might then mark to the eye of the passenger the last resting-place of a celebrated character; a none-so-pretty might betoken that the inhabitant below was not deficient in personal charms; a noli me tangere, indicate that the little spot was sacred to a maiden lady; and a lily or narcissus tell, more eloquently than a thousand words, that innocence and virtue reposed there in peace.
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