The Idylls of the King
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Alfred Tennyson. The Idylls of the King. London: Hodder and Stoughton, n.d. [1911]. Ill. Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale. (The De Luxe edition, signed by Brickdale, was limited. to 350 copies, of which the copy represented here is No. 179.)
Influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites, Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale (1872-1945) produced beautiful and insightful illustrations, rich in color and detail, for the Idylls. Her depiction of Elaine sewing a cover for Lancelot's shield, for example, uses color and detail brilliantly. The contrast between the rather drab color of her dress and the red cover with blue and gold embellishments that Elaine is sewing suggests the excitement that Lancelot has brought into her life. His shield is propped up in such a way that it receives the light from the chamber's window and can be seen from Elaine's bed, a detail that symbolizes her devotion to Lancelot. And in Brickdale's depiction of Guinevere in the nunnery, Guinevere is not confined to a dark cloister, as she is in many illustrations, but appears outdoors. The image is replete with texture, from the rough stones of the low wall behind her to the tiles on the roof. These simple details combine with the beautiful flowers and the loaves of bread in the basket she holds to give a sense that life goes on even after the tragedy she has endured, the sadness of which can be seen in her face.
