"The Miser's Daughter," by William Harrington Ainsworth 1852

Editor: This is George Cruikshank's "The Miser's Daughter." It's a small print, full of detail, and it has a sort of stagey, dramatic feel to it. What leaps out at you when you look at this? Curator: It's a tableau, isn't it? Like a frozen moment from a play, and Cruikshank, bless his heart, just loved capturing those heightened emotions. You almost hear the creak of the floorboards and the rustle of the daughter's dress, don't you? It makes me wonder, what's just happened, and what's about to unfold? Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way, but it does pull you right into the middle of the scene. Thanks! Curator: Indeed, and that’s the magic, isn’t it? The way a simple engraving can ignite your imagination and set your mind wandering off into the story.