Publication Title: Once a Week Vol.5 1861 (year of production) Wood engraving mounted on grey card
115 x 100 mm. Purchase: Puttick and Simpson Auctioneers, Leicester Square, London 1924
Illustration from 'The Silver Cord: A Story', a novel by Charles William Shirley Brooks (1816-74) that was serialised in 'Once a Week' between 1860 and 1861. It was also published in three volumes by Bradbury & Evans in 1861.
A bedroom interior. At the centre, a middle-aged, sickly woman sits on an armchair propped up with two pillows. She is wearing a frilly white nightshirt and cap. Her lap is covered with a blanket. Her right arm lies on the armrest while she is grabbing a book on a round table next to her with her left hand. A jug, glass and small pile of books are also placed on the table that is covered with a table cloth. With her eyes half closed she faces a young woman who is standing on the left. The woman has her long, dark hair hanging in loose curls at the front and pinned-up in a coil at the back. She is wearing a dark crinoline dress with pagoda sleeves and undersleeves. Her hands are clasped underneath her chin, and she looks worried at the older woman. A fourposter bed with its curtains half closed stands in the background.