"Why do you always look so sad, Wenna?" — seventh regular illustration by George du Maurier for William Black's Three Feathers. 15.3 cm high by 10 cm wide (6 inches high by 4 inches wide), facing p. 129, framed: Chapter XXIII, "Love-making at Land's End" in The Cornhill Magazine, Vol. XXXI (February 1875). [Click on the image to enlarge it.]
Passage Illustrated: Wenna and her mother, Mrs. Rosewarne, contemplate the Penzance Bay
"Are you dreaming again, child?" said Mrs. Rosewarne to her daughter. "You are not a fit companion for a sick woman, who is herself dull enough. Why do you always look so sad, Wenna?"
The wan-faced, beautiful-eyed woman lay on a sofa, a book beside her. She had been chatting in a bright, rapid, desultory fashion about the book and a dozen other things — amusing herself really by a continual stream of playful talk — until she perceived that the girl's fancies were far away. Then she stopped suddenly, with this expression of petulant but good-natured disappointment. [Chapter XXIII, "Love-making at Land's End," 129]
Scanned images, caption, and commentary by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use the images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose, as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned them, and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Bibliography
Allingham, Philip V. "The Illustrations for William Black's Three Feathers." (2001).
Black, William. Three Feathers. Illustrated by George du Maurier. The Cornhill Magazine, Vols. XXX & XXXI (August 1874 through June 1875).
Black, William. Three Feathers: A Novel. Illustrated by George du Maurier. London: Sampson Low, Marston, 1875. 3 vols. Rpt., 1892 in a single volume.
Created 12 January 2025