"The Old Weir"

Harrison Miller

1900

Frontispiece of the Scribner ed.of George Meredith's The Ordeal of Richard Feverel.

In such a setting, "above green-flashing plunges of a weir" at the end of Chapter 14 of the novel, with lilies swaying among the reeds, Richard meets Lucy in later adolescence, and finds a paradisiacal, magical space for himself outside his father's "System" for him (see Keen 9). However, the illustrator has depicted rather a heavy, even slightly spooky scene — perhaps intended to have an ominous note. Richard and Lucy will only able to inhabit this space briefly, before the repercussions of the "System" take their toll.

There are at least two Harrison Millers. One is the American artist Franklin Harrison Miller (1843-1911), who was known for his landscapes, but neither his style nor his signature (F. Miller) seems a good match. From some examples in pastel, the Australian Emily Harrison Miller also seems a poor match.

Image obtained from the Internet Archives, and text by Jacqueline Banerjee