This is an intriguing example of the hybridity of Macdougall’s art as it is embodied in the title-lettering for Keats’s Isabella, or The Pot of Basil, 1898. The design unites elements of Arts and Crafts (in the dense foliate pattern surrounding the letters) and Art Nouveau (the loosely knit, abstracted, but rhythmically repeating frame). Viewed together, these two tendencies contradict even other: the first is overloads the space in dense marks, while the second radiates outwards in a lyrical, organic pattern, defining rather than congesting the page.
Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke. You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link to this URL in a web document or cite it in a print one. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]
Bibliography
Keats, John. Isabella, or The Pot of Basil. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner, 1898.
Created 14 September 2024