[From one of the horizontal beams hung a stuffed figure, resembling a human being] — illustration for G. W. M. Reynolds’s “The Mysteries of London” by G. Stiff

[Victorian Web Home —> Visual Arts —> Illustration —> G. Stiff —> Next]

From one of the horizontal beams hung a stuffed figure

G. Stiff

1846

Wood engraving

Source: The Project Gutenberg version of G. W. M. Reynolds’s The Mysteries of London

This plate, like the others in the book, has no caption, and I have added a relevant sentence from nearby text. — George P. Landow

Click on image to enlarge it

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

Passage illustrated

The policeman and our hero hurried up the narrow stairs, lighted by the officer's bull's-eye; and speedily reached the room whence the screams had emanated. . . .

From one of the horizontal beams hung a stuffed figure, resembling a human being, and as large as life. It was dressed in a complete suit of male attire; and a white mask gave it the real but ghastly appearance of a dead body. It was suspended by a thick cord, or halter, the knot of which being fastened beneath the left ear, made the head incline 6somewhat over the right shoulder; and it was waving gently backwards and forwards, as if it had been recently disturbed. The arms were pinioned behind; and the hands, which were made more or less life-like by means of dingy white kid gloves, were curled up as it were in a last convulsion. In a word, it presented the exact appearance of a man hanging. Markham started back when his eyes first fell on this sinister object; but a second glance convinced him that the figure was only a puppet. [Volume 2, Chapter 138 (“A Public Functionary”)]

Bibliography

Reynolds, George W. M. The Mysteries of London. vol 2. London: George Vickers, 1846. Project Gutenberg EBook #51294. Produced by Richard Tonsing, Chuck Greif, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. Web. 3 October 2016.

Last modified 3 October 2016