Illustration for ‘Sinbad’

Artist: William Strang

1896

Photomechanical reproduction of a pen and ink drawing

9 x 6 inches

Sinbad the Sailor, facing 106

This illustration visualizes Sinbad among the ‘bones of the dead … begging aid of God’ (106). Strang incongruously combines the decorative effects of the pattern below the frame and the ornamentalism of Sinbad’s costume with the morbid, unsettling details of the dead faces. The unrelieved screen-like blackness of the background is placed in dramatic contrast with the figure drawing and adds a solemn note to the drama. Beardsley’s influence is obvious here, and could almost have been drawn by him. [Click on the image to enlarge it, and mouse over the text for links.]