Brian Marks (Part One) is here
So let's continue working through the fantastic collection of Brian Marks' father. I'd recommend going to his Flickr account if you want to see these in hi-resolution as I've uploaded a smaller size here and downloaded the best version for my records
The Old Man and the Sea, rejected image? Raymond Sheppard 22 cm x 19.5 cm, Old Man and the Sea, "NO" on protective cover sheet - rejected image?, Page 50 - "He adjusted the sack and carefully worked his way back"
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| The Old Man and the Sea Text on p.49 |
Dolphins, Raymond Sheppard
23 cm x 16 cm, "No" written on protective cover sheet, rejected image? Page 70 - Dolphin
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| The Old Man and the Sea Text on p.67-68 |
Now, this image is interesting as they look nothing like dolphins and Raymond Sheppard the consummate animal artist would know that. Early on in the book, the man encounters a black bird (a cormorant?) fishing and diving and he realises the flying fish are being chased by dolphin.
But as you can see Brian tells us that the image above has "Page 70" written on it. On pages 67-68 the man encounters a dolphin on his line and a passage begins of his lonely journey and his gutting the dolphin. I noticed that Tunnicliffe's illustration of this shows, not a dolphin, but similar fish to the above and that set me searching.
I had never heard of a dolphin fish - or Mahi-Mahi but once I started reading I realised why in the book the man calls the 'dolphin' Dorado (page 69) as they sheen like gold. Mystery solved! It was relatively easy for me to search online, but how did Tunnicliffe and Sheppard know the Hemingway references were to smaller fish called 'dolphin'?
The Old Man and the Sea, rejected image?, Raymond Sheppard
24 cm x 20 cm, "NO" written on protective cover sheet, rejected image? "Page 53 - '...would have pulled him overboard'"
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| The Old Man and the Sea Text on p.49 |
The third of these unpublished drawings shows the weary man in the bow of the boat holding fast to the line.
Just then the fish gave a sudden lurch that pulled the old man down onto the bow and would have pulled him overboard if he had not braced himself and given some line (p.53)
Shark Pack, Raymond Sheppard
24 cm x 33 cm "They came in a pack" Rejected image? "NO" written on protective cover sheet
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| The Old Man and the Sea Text on p.108 |
There are two obvious 'shark' stories in Lilliput (April-May 1951 "Half a ton of tail" by Charles Osborne and July 1956 "Last dive" by John Sidney) but neither have that text or that page number as a likely candidate. However the shape of the image is so like Lilliput or Everybody's illustrations I've seen. "Page 114" was the clue that set me looking in "The Old Man and the Sea" again - and sure enough, this passage (page 108) begins just like that:
But by midnight he fought and this time he knew the fight was useless. They came in a pack and he could only see the lines in the water that their fins made and their phosphorescence as they threw themselves on the fish.
Illustration, Raymond Sheppard
27 cm x 19.5 cm "Page 124 - He started to cry again" "NO" written on protective cover sheet.
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| The Old Man and the Sea Text on p.113 |
Well, this caused me a lot trouble. That 'tankard' is steaming. Is the man the owner of the establishment, or has he made the boy, who's serving the drink, cry? I remembered that in "The Old Man and the Sea" the sad ending has the boy crying so went back to reading. And imagine my surprise!
He went into the Terrace and asked for a can of coffee.So I think Brian will be pleased to learn 5 images are from the one book. These five images remind me of what a tremendous read "The Old Man and the Sea" is!
“Hot and with plenty of milk and sugar in it.”
“Anything more?”
“No. Afterwards I will see what he can eat.”
“What a fish it was,” the proprietor said. “There has never been such a fish. Those were two fine fish you took yesterday too.”
“Damn my fish,” the boy said and he started to cry again.
Owl, Raymond Sheppard
24 cm x 27 cm, "- SHADOW OF DOUBT - (Page 2 of paste up) As it spread its wings and glided downwards, I could see that it held a body in its talons"
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| Original art |
I was excited when I saw this image as the whole left-hand side has been 'whited-out' and did not appear in the published version in the magazine Young Elizabethan (March 1955, page 29). It accompanied the story "Shadow of a doubt" by Leighton Houghton. Why the decision was made to eliminate the two boys - just visible - we may never know but the published version still shows off Raymond Sheppard's talent of bringing birds to life.
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| Young Elizabethan March 1955 p.29 |
16.5 cm x 25,5 cm "TRYLLA - FRONTIS PIECE -from page 2 'Trylla was obliged to stay outside the group'"
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| Trylla and other small fry - Frontispiece |
I'll write about this book "Trylla and other small fry" by Gunnar Gunnarsson (and translated by Evelyn Ramsden), at a later date as it contains a dozen images by Sheppard. It was published by Hutchinson in their series 'Hutchinson's Books for Young people' circa 1947 and this is the original art for the frontispiece. As it was used in the position opposite the title page, it didn't get published with the caption listed on the original board.
Pride of Lions, Raymond Sheppard
26.5 cm x 17 cm, "Page 21, illustration for head of page"
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| The Old Man and the Sea POSSIBLY p.19 |
After all the detective work and luck with the "The Old Man and the Sea", I went looking there first but couldn't remember any lions in that story! However, the old man does mention in passing having seen lions on the beach - and this does appear early on in the book (page 19), but this might be from somewhere completely different. So I shall leave this one open until I find it elsewhere, - what do you think?
“When I was your age I was before the mast on a square rigged ship that ran to Africa and I have seen lions on the beaches in the evening.” “I know. You told me.” “Should we talk about Africa or about baseball?” “Baseball I think,” the boy said.
Part Three of Brian's collection, to follow
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