Title Page for Kensworth 

Alfred E. Hubbard created this pencil sketch, "Title Page for Kensworth," sometime in the 19th century. Hubbard lived during a period of significant social change, including the rise of industrialization and evolving class structures in England. Hubbard uses the visual language of dreams, suggesting a deep dive into the subconscious. A central image shows a man, sword in hand, hovering over a figure in bed, while the suggestion of prison bars looms in the periphery. Other vignettes dance around the scene, creating a tableau of interiority, one that is perhaps fraught with class anxieties. Consider the role of dreams as a space where social taboos can be explored and challenged. Hubbard uses this visual language to examine themes of power, violence, and social constraint. Are we looking at the anxieties of the working class? Or the fears of those in power? This title page offers more questions than answers, inviting us to explore the complex interplay between our inner lives and the societal structures that shape them.