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Passage Illustrated: These Strawberries Have Connotations

Tess wished to abridge her visit as much as possible; but the young man was pressing, and she consented to accompany him. He conducted her about the lawns, and flower-beds, and conservatories; and thence to the fruit-garden and greenhouses, where he asked her if she liked strawberries.

“Yes,” said Tess, “when they come.”

“They are already here.” D’Urberville began gathering specimens of the fruit for her, handing them back to her as he stooped; and, presently, selecting a specially fine product of the “British Queen” variety, he stood up and held it by the stem to her mouth.

“No — no!” she said quickly, putting her fingers between his hand and her lips. “I would rather take it in my own hand.”

“Nonsense!” he insisted; and in a slight distress she parted her lips and took it in. [Book One, "The Maiden," Chapter VI, pp. 102-103; in the 1897 volume edition, Chapter V, 48]

Commentary: Alec D'Urberville, the Fashion Plate

This third illustration of Hardy's novel (E. Borough Johnson's first, in a serial version illustrated by various hands), shows Tess and Alec in the garden, and precedes the 25 July instalment, which begins on p. 102. In the serial, he is "Alec Smith-D'Urberville," but he is recognizable to volume readers in this periodical scene by virtue of his insinuating manner, fashionable sporting attire, and rakish behaviour towards his diffident teenage "relative" who has unwisely entrusted herself to his care. When she meets the northern money-lender's son, the young rake is smoking; he has already finished one, and is about to start on another cigarette (although the text does not so indicate).

We recognise the rake by the features Hardy has given him: "swarthy complexion, with full lips . . . above which a sooty fur represented for the present the dense black moustache that was to be" and a "bold rolling eye" (VI: 102). Despite the fashionable plus-fours, collarless jacket, peaked cap, and spats reminiscent of those work by the young golfer in the Graphic's August 1st advertisement for "Elliman's Universal Embrocation" (149), there is more than a whiff of sulfur about this young swell dressed in the height of fashion.

Tess is highly self-conscious as the overly familiar "kinsman" endeavours to pop a "British Queen" strawberry into her mouth. We have read about the background vegetation, Austrian pines and evergreen oaks, at the close of the July 18th instalment. Borough Johnson has thrown that backdrop slightly out of focus to throw the eye well forward, leaving viewers to imagine the strawberry beds in which the pair find themselves.

Note: The next illustration in this serialisation is by a different illustrator. For the complete list, see here.

Bibliography

Allingham, Philip V. "The Original Illustrations for Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles Drawn by Daniel A. Wehrschmidt, Ernest Borough-Johnson, and Joseph Sydall for the Graphic (1891)." The Thomas Hardy Year Book, No. 24 (1997): 3-50.

Allingham, Philip V. "Six Original Illustrations for Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles Drawn by Sir Hubert Von Herkomer for the Graphic (1891)." The Thomas Hardy Journal, Vol. X, No. 1 (February 1994): 52-70.

Hardy, Thomas. Tess of the D'Urbervilles in the Graphic, 1891, 4 July-26 December, pp. 11-761.

Hardy, Thomas. Tess of the D'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman. Vol. I. The Wessex Novels.London: Osgood, McIlvaine, 1897.

Jackson, Arlene M. Illustration and the Novels of Thomas Hardy. Totowa, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield, 1981.

Vann, J. Don. "Tess of the D'Urbervilles in the Graphic, 4 July — 26 December 1891." Victorian Novels in Serial. New York: MLA, 1985, pp. 88-89.

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Created 21 January 2001
Last modified 7 May 2024