Illustration for The Treasure of Carcassonne 

Dorothy Lathrop created this illustration for The Treasure of Carcassonne with ink, using clear lines to give the image both definition and a fantastical feel. The combination of light and dark shades evokes a sense of depth and mystery. The composition draws your eye in several directions: the mermaid-like figure at the top, the dragon coiled around the upper and right-hand-side edges, and the impish characters dotted around the treasure, drawing us into a world where boundaries between human and non-human, real and imagined, are blurred. Lathrop uses color to create a semiotic system where the gold symbolizes not just material wealth, but the imaginative richness that fairytales offer. The dark colors that surround the figure create both a sense of enclosure and protection. The choice of subject matter is rooted in the late 19th- and early 20th-century Symbolist movement that often turned to mythology to explore the human psyche. Note how the symmetry and balance in the layout reinforces an equilibrium between beauty and the bestial, inviting us to reflect on the dualities within ourselves and in the world.