Publication Title: Once a Week Vol.3 1860 (year of production) Wood engraving mounted on grey card
100 x 125 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 maritime scene. A woman sits on deck of a boat with her back to the sea. She has wrapped a large cape around her and wears a hat with a short veil. She holds up her books with both hands staring angrily at the pages. A coiled rope lies in front of her. A tall man with a moustache stands next to her and leans slightly towards her with his hand resting on the boat's side. His other arm is tucked behind his back. He wears a long, white overcoat with a frock coat and a military-style flat cap. On a bench next to the woman towards the right margin, a pair of shoes protected by gaiters is seen sticking out from underneath a blanket. A group of men of various ages and in a variety of clothes are standing on deck in the background. Part of a low wooden structure stands on the left. Tenniel's initials are in the lower left corner, Swain's signature is on the lower right margin.