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"You be the woman they call Mrs. Durbeyfield, I reckon?" he said to Tess's mother, who had remounted.
D. A. Wehrschmidt
12 December 1891
9.4 cm high x 22.5 cm wide (3 ⅝ by 9 inches)
Plate 22 in for the weekly serialisation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, in The Graphic, Chapter LII, p. 693
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Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham.
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A man could be seen advancing from the outskirts towards them, and when he beheld the nature of their waggon-load he quickened his steps.
“You be the woman they call Mrs. Durbeyfield, I reckon?” he said to Tess’s mother, who had descended to walk the remainder of the way.
She nodded. “Though widow of the late Sir John d’Urberville, poor nobleman, if I cared for my rights; and returning to the domain of his forefathers.”
“Oh? Well, I know nothing about that; but if you be Mrs. Durbeyfield, I am sent to tell ’ee that the rooms you wanted be let. We didn’t know that you was coming till we got your letter this morning — when ’twas too late. But no doubt you can get other lodgings somewhere.”
The man had noticed the face of Tess, which had become ash-pale at his intelligence. Her mother looked hopelessly at fault. “What shall we do now, Tess?” she said bitterly. “Here’s a welcome to your ancestors’ lands! However, let’s try further.” [Chapter LII, 695; in the 1897 volume edition, pp. 468-469]
Here the versatile Wehrschmidt seems to have adopted something of Herkomer's style, with the contraposto of the young female figure (despite Hardy's text, this is almost certainly Tess rather than her mother) in the centre of the composition. This lends the moment realised an animation generally lacking in his previous illustrations. The legs of one of the horses drawing the heavily-laden wagon are just visible, and the hill-top setting is suggested by the curve of the slope and the trees in the distance. Crocks and kettles swing from the axels; the wicker cradle and clock-case on the rear of the wagon are derived from the text. However, the artist has chosen to show the messenger dismounted and exclude his pony. Joan's stern expression is a credible reaction to the news that their rooms at Shottsford have already been let; in the text, Hardy suggests that her response is less stoic and more tearful as she replies "with a sob in her voice" (LII: 695). Afterwards, she becomes "hopeless" and "bitter," as Wehrschmidt's image suggests. Although textually the reader views the scene from Tess's perspective, in the plate the illustrator presents the scene theatrically. The textual vantage point has shifted forward when the narrator mentions that the messenger's notices the "ashen" pallor on Tess's face, signalling her shock and desperation.
Note: The next illustration is by a different illustrator. For the full sequence, please consult the complete list of illustrations.
Allingham, Philip V. "The Original Illustrations for Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles Drawn by Daniel A. Wehrschmidt, Ernest Borough-Johnson, and Joseph Sydall for the Graphic (1891)." The Thomas Hardy Year Book, No. 24 (1997): 3-50.
Hardy, Thomas. Tess of the D'Urbervilles in the Graphic, 1891, 4 July-26 December, pp. 11-761.
Hardy, Thomas. Tess of the D'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman. Vol. I. The Wessex Novels. London: Osgood, McIlvaine, 1897.
Jackson, Arlene M. Illustration and the Novels of Thomas Hardy. Totowa, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield, 1981.
Created 5 December 2000
Last updated 6 May 2024