Art

The original illustration, signed by the artist, for one of the pastoral scenes in Mary Russell Mitford's "Our Village", which comprised a series of sketches of country life. Brock's illustrations form part of the "Series of English Idylls" published by J. M. Dent & Co. Mitford, up to a point, called to account her own voyeuristic thirst for pastoral poverty in the passage that follows, describing them "in all the joy of idleness, whilst a grave, patient donkey stood grazing hard by. It was a pretty picture, with its soft autumnal sky, its rich woodiness, its sunshine, its verdure, the light smoke curling from the fire, and the group disposed around it so harmless, poor out-casts ! and so happy a beautiful picture ! I stood gazing on it till I was half ashamed to look longer, and came away half afraid that they should depart before I could see them again." Original pen-and-ink watercolour illustration (371 x 268 mm), in a wash-line mount. Margins somewhat marked and toned. In very good condition.