[Richard Markham kneels before the Duchess of Castelcicala] — illustration for G. W. M. Reynolds’s “The Mysteries of London” by G. Stiff

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Richard Markham kneels before the Duchess of Castelcicala

G. Stiff

1846

Wood engraving

Source: The Project Gutenberg version of G. W. M. Reynolds’s The Mysteries of London

“AH” appear at the lower left, which I assume is the engraver, since the title page attributes all drawings to Stiff.

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Passage illustrated

He immediately recognised the beautiful woman whom he had seen five years previously, disguised in male attire, at Mrs. Arlington's lodgings, and whose singular history had subsequently reached his ears when he was imprisoned at the same time as herself, though of course not in the same department, in Newgate. Yes—he recognised her who was once Eliza Sidney; and he now bent his head to the grand Duchess of Castelcicala. . . . Her form had expanded into those proportions which indicated the maturity of her charms, but which gave to her beauty a voluptuousness that was only attempered by the chaste glances of her melting hazel eyes, and the halo of purity which dwelt on her lofty and spotless brow.

And well fitted was that pure and open forehead to be crowned with the glittering tiara which denoted her sovereign rank, and which set off to such exquisite advantage the large bands of her light, luxuriant, shining, chesnut hair! [Volume 2, Chapter 175, “Montoni”]

Bibliography

Reynolds, George W. M. The Mysteries of London. vol 2. London: George Vickers, 1846. Project Gutenberg EBook #51294. Produced by Richard Tonsing, Chuck Greif, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. Web. 3 October 2016.

Last modified 3 October 2016