[Richard pressed his lips to those of that charming girl] — illustration for G. W. M. Reynolds’s “The Mysteries of London” by G. Stiff

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Richard pressed his lips to those of that charming girl

G. Stiff

c. 1843

Wood engraving

Source: The Hathi Trust version of G. W. M. Reynolds’s The Mysteries of London 1.273

The uncaptioned illustration, which depicts a passage in Chapter 74, appears in the previous chapter

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Passage illustrated

Richard pressed his lips to those of that charming girl, and bade her adieu.

She tore herself — now reluctantly! — away from him, and hastily retraced her steps towards the mansion.

But ere she passed the angle of the grove, she turned and waved her handkerchief to her lover.

The young man kissed his hand fondly to the idol of his heart: and in another moment Isabella was out of sight.

That one half-hour of bliss, which Richard had thus passed with the Italian lady, was a reward for weeks — months — years of anguish and of sorrow! [Chapter 74, “The Meeting,” 1.230]

Commentary

Although illustrations and even famous paintings, like those of John Everett Millais, show couples in chaste embraces, representations of passionate kisses are certainly rare. Stiff’s illustrations, like Reynolds’s extensive presentation of taboo sexual topics, made The Mysteries of London seem little more than pornography to many critics (and other novelists) but immensely popular, too. I don't know another Victorian illustrator of fiction set in modern times who includes either so many semi-clothed women or a couple kissing passionately.

Bibliography

Reynolds, George W. M. The Mysteries of London. vol 1. London: George Vickers, 1846. Hathi Trust Digital Library. Web. 6 October 2016.

Last modified 6 October 2016