Harold Piffard's illustrations for Le Chevalier de Maison Rouge

Two illustrations from a London Collins Press edition of Le Chevalier de Maison Rouge by Alexandre Dumas. The illustrations in the book were done by Harold Piffard; the entire book (and rest of the illustrations) can be viewed at Archive.org.

Marie-Antoinette: Carnet secret d'une reine by Benjamin Lacombe

Marie-Antoinette: Carnet secret d'une reine is the latest offering from artist Benjamin Lacombe, who is best known for his beautiful and unique illustrations. 'Carnet secret' is a treasure trove for anyone who fancies his illustrations--which I do, enough so that I pre-ordered my own copy!

'Carnet secret' is a quasi-historical fiction tome, which combines some authentic letters of Marie Antoinette with fictional letters and diary entries written by the queen and various other figures, including Axel Fersen. The book is completely in French and I am very slowly working my way through it; while I can't yet provide a review on the literary content, I can definitely praise the illustrations in the book--which were actually the reason for my purchase!

My favorite aspect of Lacombe's illustrations is that you never quite know what to expect when you turn the page. Will it be something fairly direct, such as an illustration inspired by a historical painting (with, of course, a little twist)? Something totally absurd, like Lacombe's take on some of the 'Marie Antoinette' caricatures of the day? Or even something somber, mournful and dark? Every illustration is a detailed treasure trove, and I find myself returning to the pages more than once to see what I've missed!

If you are a fan of gorgeous illustrations or Lacombe's illustrations specifically, I heartily recommend picking up a copy of Marie-Antoinette: Carnet secret d'une reine as soon as possible! I purchsed my copy from Amazon.fr. You can also see more examples of his work on his official website.

A few sample pages:

 

 

 

'Casanova' illustrations by Helma Baison

illustrator: Helma Baison

source: my scan

I came across a lovely little German translation of Casanova's memoirs at the thrift store recently. It was the cover which first intrigued me but I was completely sold on the purchase when I saw the illustrations inside! The artwork, which was drawn by Helma Baison, hits all the right notes for Casanova's adventurous life, without crossing the line into vulgarity.  If you're a fan of interesting book illustrations, I'd definitely look into picking up a copy! Here are three illustrations from the book:

Illustrations from 'One Heart and Many Crowns: The Life of Empress Maria Theresa' by Brigitte Hamann

Ein Herz und viele Kronen: Das Leben der Kaiserin Maria Theresia (One Heart and Many Crowns: The Life of Empress Maria Theresa) by Brigitte Hamann is a German children's book about Maria Theresa of Austria.

The illustrations in the book are by Rolf Rettich, who has illustrated several children's books in Germany. I wanted to share some selected illustrations from the book that I have scanned, which I think have a lovely older charm to them.

The front and back of the book

A young Maria Theresa

 

 

Maria Theresa grieving her father

 

Maria Theresa and some of her children. Inspired by this portrait.

Maria Theresa in mourning for her husband

 

'She delighted in dancing lessons.'

An illustration of a young Marie Antoinette, who 'delighted in her dance lessons,' by H.J. Ford. The illustration comes from The Book of Princes and Princesses by Mrs. Lang.

image: An illustration of Marie Antoinette by H.J. Ford

The Adventure of the German Student

The Halloween season is one of my favorite times of the year. The costumes, the decorations, the abundance of pumpkin-themed food items... October is a very season! This year, I thought it would be fun to have a weekly Halloween post--every Thursday excepting this one late Friday post! until the big 3-1!-- to share in the fun, unique and sometimes spooky Halloween spirit.

This week:

One of my favorite books growing up was the short horror story collection Short & Shivery, which featured retellings of ghost, monster and ghoul stories accompanied by various illustrations. One of my favorite illustrations was from a retelling of Washington Irving's The Adventure of the German Student.  The full original version of the story can be read here.

credit: my scan

"You should not be out here at this hour, exposed to the fury of such a storm. I beg you, permit me to take you to some friends."

In answer, she merely pointed to the guillotine, and shook her head. “I have no friend on earth.”

'My husband said, “O God, guide us. We are too young to rule.”'

An illustration by Michael Leonard, from the Reader’s Digest Condensed version of The Queen’s Confession by Victoria Holt:

 

credit: my scan/collection

Illustrations of Marie Antoinette from George Washington's World by Genevieve Foster

George Washington's World by Genevieve Foster is a children's book which covers the life and times of George Washington. The book is filled with wonderful illustrations, including a number of illustrations of Marie Antoinette. Although the book's portrayal of Marie Antoinette is frustrating (there is a passage where they have her saying something akin to, "Those peasants don't know how good they have it! It's hard to be queen!"--absolutely out of character for her) the illustrations by Genevieve Foster are certainly worth a look.

(All of the following are my scans; credit goes to Genevieve Foster and Charles Scribner's Sons)

 

An illustration from Queen of Sorrow by Sachiko Oba

 image credit: my scan/collection

The above image is an illustration from Queen of Sorrow by Sachiko Oba, first published in 1959. Queen of Sorrow is a Japanese adaptation of Stefen Zweig's biography of Marie Antoinette, this time for younger readers. This gorgeous, somber image is one of the few color illustrations included in the book. The soft colors and lines, slightly stronger towards the queen's face and becoming softer and less defined towards the outer area of the picture, give the illustration an airy, almost dream-like feel. 

The illustration appears to have inspired another artist, the famed Makoto Takahashi, who provided the illustrations for another adaptation of Stefen Zweig's book--again called Queen of Sorrow.

 

image credit: bisenco

Takahashi's drawing has a much rounder, more shoujo manga style. Unfortunately, I've been unable to find a scan or larger photograph of this particular illustration. This particular biography, published in the early 1970s, is very hard to find. There have been some re-releases of Takahashi's illustrated books in recent years--I hope this trend continues with this particular volume!

 

I'll end with a screencap I took from the last episode of The Rose of Versailles anime adaption, which immediately reminded me of both Queen of Sorrow illustrations. All three images share some interesting similarities. All three depict the queen seated in profile, seated in front of her prison walls. All three images use color contrasts to full effect: the purple dress contrasts with the bleak, drab color of her chair and the prison walls; her hair, bleached from sorrow in all three images, adds a final, sorrowful contrast to these striking depictions of the imprisoned queen.