“I must see you”

Christiana Hammond

Photomechanical reproduction of pen and ink drawing.

5 x 3½ inches

W.M.Thackeray.Vanity Fair, Facing p. 140.

Amelia reading a letter from her husband. Emmy’s intent gaze suggests her state of mind, but Hammond’s focus is the life of the household, with the maid-servant (who is not described in the text) being shown as a nosey observer, trying to deduce the letter’s import. This interest in domestic spaces and characters is one of Hammond’s strengths, endowing her interpretations with a prosaic immediacy that enriches the textures of the novel.

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Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke.

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