Fidelity

Harrison Weir

1861

Wood engraving; engraved by J. Cooper.

5 x 4 inches

Illustration for The Poetry of Nature, selected and illustrated by Harrison Weir, p.37.

This image, an example of Weir’s interest in anthropomorpism, shows the watchful dog standing in guard over his fallen master – whose presence is subtly signalled by his hat, lodged ominously between some rocks — another version of the subject made famous by Landseer's Old Shepherd's Chief Mourner in a work much praised by Ruskin.

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Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke

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