Robinson Crusoe in his Tent
Sir John Gilbert, R. A.
1867?
8.2 cm high x 5.3 cm, vignetted
Illustration for Daniel Defoe's Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, facing Chapter One.
Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham.
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Passages Illustrated
When I was gotten home to my little tent I had got home to my little tent, I lay, with all my wealth about me, very secure: it blew very hard all night; and in the morning, when I looked out, behold, no more ship was to be seen! I was a little surprised, but recovered myself with the satisfactory reflection; viz. that I had lost no time, nor abated any diligence, to get everything out of her that could be useful to me; and that, indeed, there was little left in her that I was able to bring away, if I had had more time. I now gave over any more thoughts of the ship, or of anything out of her, except what might drive on shore from her wreck; as, indeed, divers pieces of her afterwards did; but those things were of small use to me. [pp. 62-63]
November 1. I set up my tent under a rock, and lay there for the first night; making it as large as I could, with stakes driven in to swing my hammock upon. [p. 65]
Commentary: Not the Traditional Image of Crusoe the Valiant Castaway
The traditional image of a stalwart, bearded Crusoe in goatskinsdoes not coincide with this timid figure with a straggling moustache, but then this is the young Crusoe, just arrived on the island and struggling to clear anything salvageable off the wreck before it goes down. Eventually Crusoe ceases to live in a tent made from a ship's sail, and creates the cave-fortress that Victorian readers would have associated with the story. Previous illustrators had not depicted the self-reliant survivor of the shipwreck as so lacking in confidence.
Images of Crusoe's Accommodations on the Island: 1790, 1818, and 1831
Left: Thomas Stothard's resourceful Crusoe has settled in to island life, Crusoe at work in his cave (1790). Centre: George Cruikshank's charming 1831 realisation of Crusoe and the quiet interior of his cave, Crusoe and Poll the Parrot in dialogue (Chapter IX, "A Boat"). Right: The children's book illustrator emphasizes Crusoe's living in harmony with his many animal companions in Robinson Crusoe reading the Bible (1818).
Bibliography
De Foe, Daniel. The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Written by Himself. Illustrated by Gilbert, Cruikshank, and Brown. London: Darton and Hodge, 1867?].
Last modified 16 February 2018