Browse Items (2 total)

These black and white illustrations, appearing as the frontispiece and title page vignette to volume 1 of the 1853 James Nisbet "Author's Edition" reprint, depicts Mr. Van Brunt tending his flock and Edinburgh. The frontispiece depicts Mr. Van Brunt tending his flock of sheep. Ellen stands among the sheep, looking happily at them as they stand around her. Mr. Van Brunt stands near her, throwing feed to the sheep from a bowl tucked under his arm. A fence extends down the left side of the illustration toward a large mountain in the background, over which looms a billowy cloud. The field where Mr. Van Brunt and Ellen stand is mostly bare except for several trees that stand near the mountain. The title page vignette depicts Edinburgh. The landscape captures the natural beauty of the hilly terrain, while also showing the large edifices and monuments known to that city, such as the Nelson Monument, which spires up into the sky. In the front center of the image are tourists gazing upon old Edinburgh. This pairing of an image depicting the American pastoral ideal and the largest city of Scotland contrasts the developing values of each country.

These black and white illustrations, appearing as the frontispiece and title page vignette to volume 2 of the 1853 James Nisbet "Author's Edition" reprint, depicts the ox cart and a ship at sea. The frontispiece depicts depicts Ellen riding in the ox cart as Mr. Van Brunt walks alongside the oxen. Mr. Van Brunt holds up a whip as Ellen sits in a chair in the ox cart looking around her. The landscape surrounding the ox cart is bleak as bare trees hang over the path, and the dark sky contrasts the white ground, suggesting cold weather. The bleak landscape seems to suggest Ellen's apprehension upon leaving Thirlwall in the ox cart as Mr. Van Brunt guides her to her Aunt Fortune's house. The title page vignette depicts a large ship on a dark, rough sea. The ship is heading towards the horizon as the sun rises. The pairing of these illustrations compares two modes of travel that appear in the novel, both suggesting a journey to an unfamiliar location.