You would like a portrait?

‘You would like a portrait’?

George du Maurier

Wood engraving by Joseph Swain

5½ x 3½ inches

Gaskell, Elizabeth. Cousin Phillis and Other Tales, facing 78.

Gaskell’s emphasis on domestic drama is visualized in this type of genre-style illustration, with its focus on small-scale interiors and intimate moments. Cousin Phillis’s unease as Holdsworth tinkers with her hair is suggested by her blank expression and still hands – trying her best, it seems, to conceal her emotions.

Click on image to enlarge it.

  • Elizabeth Gaskell (homepage)

    • Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke.

    [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]