The Waiting Time

Frederick Sandys

1863

Wood engraving

7 x 4 ½ inches

Illustration for The Churchman’s Family Magazine 2 (July–Dec 1863): facing 91.

This hard-hitting image closely reflects the influence of Rossetti’s monumental female figures of the 1860s. Here, however, Sandys uses this visual type to make a political point on the effects of privation - the very reverse of Rossetti’s dreamy escapism. The composition also reflects the influence of Rethel and ‘German wood-cuts’ (as wood-engravings were known at the time) in general. The artist’s monogram, placed on the wall facing us, is intended to invoke the spirit of the greatest German wood-cut artist, Dürer, and is based on Dürer’s signature.

[Click on image to enlarge it.]

Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke

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