Broken Toys

Matthew James Lawless

5 December 1863

Wood engraving by an unidentified engraver; probably Swain.

5 x 4 inches

Illustration for a poem by ‘Berni’ in Once a Week.

Lawless specialised in moments of loss, reverie and suffering, this time showing a mother grieving the death of her son. The figure’s inward gestures convey the depth of her emotion, and the intensity of the moment is heightened by the economical registration of the toys.

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Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke.

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