George Du Maurier

 

George Du Maurier was a popular illustrator in the mid-19^th century. His works were widely reproduced, Maurier illustrated eight of Elizabeth Gaskell’s novels including North and South, and Wives and Daughters. Unlike the majority of artist and writer relationships of the 19^th century, Gaskell had no prior connection to Du Maurier.

Gaskell had passed away before many of her works were illustrated leaving no input of the importance of the relationship between text and image. The suggestion to have Gaskell’s works illustrated were aimed for the popular market of cheap illustrated novels. It was the illustrated editions of Gaskell’s work that converted them to best-sellers, reaching new markets. Illustration as it is today was used as a marketing tool, Du Maurier popularised Gaskell to audiences that responded well to illustrated popular fiction.

The shift in the 19^th century of the role of the artist to being an inferior position to work being written for an illustration reinforced the popularity of the work.

Walery, George Du Maurier, carbon print photograph, National Portrait Gallery, October 1890, [accessed 14 June 2022]