The Treasure of Carcassonne 1928

Dorothy Lathrop created this image, The Treasure of Carcassonne, with ink, and you can feel the scratch of the pen across the page. The black and white creates a stark contrast, but it's also an open invitation for our imaginations to fill in the colors. It’s about storytelling and the process of making marks. Look at the floor; the linear details of the wood grain. A real contrast to the figures around the table. The image shows a group of children, and a piper, gathered for a meal. Some seem bored, others curious. The piper to me is the most intriguing figure in the image. His face is alive with expression. Lathrop's illustrative style reminds me of Aubrey Beardsley; the way she uses line to create depth and texture, but with a gentler touch. It shows that the most captivating stories don’t need to be loud.