Mrs Partington
Charles Doyle
1867
Wood engraving; unsigned.
2½ x 2 inches
Illustration for Rose and Holly,p.121.
Charles Doyle’s droll representation of Mrs Partington, a comic character who tries to control the sea with a mop. The name was a by-word for anyone trying to do an unequal or impossible task. Doyle shows the Canute-like lady in the manner of John Leech, condensing the humour into a tiny drawing in which he notably creates the effects of turbulent wind and sea.
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Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke.