"The Results of an Ambiguous Direction"

Rebecca Solomon (1832-1886)

1863

Illustration for "Which Won? A Story of Sisterly Affection"

The Churchman's Family Magazine, p. 565

Ethelreda, the eldest of a large family, sacrifices her youth when her mother dies in childbirth, devoting her self to the new baby, her sister Emily, instead. She even rejects the proposal of her beloved Ernest. Fifteen years later, Ernest has come back into their lives, and now Emily seems to have won his affection. When he writes a love letter ambiguously addressed to "E," confusion reigns. [Commentary continues below.]

Image scan, text and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee.

[You may use the image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned it and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]

A servant gives the letter to Emily rather than Ethelreda, but, gradually realising that it was meant for her sister, Emily takes it to her. Solomon depicts their embrace, after Ethelreda too has seen and understood it. Both look overcome: Emily feels some natural disappointment, while Ethelreda is overwhelmed with emotion to find that Ernest has loved her all these years and with sympathy for her sister. The age discrepancy is brought out rather (too?) fully here, and it seems a shame that a more joyful moment might not have been depicted. But the point here is the sisterly embrace as each shares the other's feelings. This kind of empathy is Solomon's forte.

Bibliography

The Churchman's Family Magazine. Vol. 1 (1863): 565-71. (Google Books, Free Ebook.)

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Created 5 October 2021