"Every Inch a King!" Phiz (Hablot K. Browne). 1866. Wood engraving. Errym's A Mystery in Scarlet. Courtesy Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington. Click on image to enlarge it.

Text Illustrated

"Your king! Your king, sir! And every inch a king!" (248).

Commentary

Finally, Phiz reveals the face of the Mystery in Scarlet, Britain's true king. Above the mantelpiece is a mirror, perhaps suggesting that the Mystery is finally able to face his true self, or else, that he has a mirror image in the regnant pretender, his half-brother George II. The Mystery's claim is recognized by Bertha (left), the Marquis of Charlton (centre right), and Markham (right). That Charlton and Markham do him this honor means that he has the endorsement of representatives of the aristocracy and the people.

Image scan by the Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington. Commentary by Rebecca Nesvet, University of Wisconsin, Green Bay. Formatting, color correction, and sizing by George P. Landow[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and Indiana University and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]

Bibliography

Errym, Malcolm J [James Malcolm Rymer]. A Mystery in Scarlet, leading serial of The London Miscellany. Ed. James Malcolm Rymer, 1, no. 16 (1866): 1. From the copy in the collection of the Wells Library, Indiana University, Bloomington. Courtesy Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington.


Last modified 13 July 2019