Pictorial frontispiece
Christiana Hammond
Photomechanical reproduction of pen and ink drawing.
5¼ x 3½ inches
W.M.Thackeray’s Vanity Fair
This illustration, which shows the moment Sir Pitt proposes to Becky, typifies Hammond’s sharp characterization. Becky is depicted as a sharp-featured, imperious woman who dominates the space around her. Background details are realistically shown, although Hammond edits the irrelevant: in this composition the edge of the fireplace and sideboard are simply cut off by the frame. This effect contributes to the scene’s spontaneity, an impression also created by the hatching. Hammond’s drawing using pen and ink is generally accomplished, although the photomechanical reproduction fails to capture the fine quality of the execution; a shortcoming repeated through almost all of her publications.
Click on image to enlarge it.
Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke.