Arthur Rackham: Mrs. Cratchit Brings in the Christmas Pudding

In half a minute Mrs. Cratchit entered—flushed, but smiling proudly—with the pudding, like a speckled cannon-ball, so hard and firm, blazing in half of half-a-quartern of ignited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck into the top.

—Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol

An original book illustration by Arthur Rackham for the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol is currently offered for sale. The drawing shows a proud Mrs. Cratchit bringing in the Christmas pudding. She leans forward slightly, toward the pudding. The image was reversed for its 1915 publication, so that the left-facing woman was reproduced as right-facing on the printed page.

Arthur Rackham
AbeBooks listing accessed December 15, 2022

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30203965680&searchurl=kn%3DChristmas%2Bcard%26sortby%3D1&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp2-_-title5

The cover of the American edition

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/465278205237171436/

With the Pudding

https://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/2017/12/dickens-and-cratchit-familys-christmas.html

An earlier illustration of the scene by Frederick Simpson Coburn is from the 1900 edition published by G. P. Putnam's Sons:

https://archive.org/details/christmascarol00dick2/page/91/mode/1up?view=theater

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Ronald Searle: Scrooge Dancing

Today Scott Burns shares with us an original drawing by Ronald Searle. He reports picking it up at "a flea market about 40 years ago for $75." Sweet deal. The artwork measures 13” x 18” and is executed in pen and ink. It depicts a dancing Ebenezer Scrooge and it most likely is an early concept drawing stemming from Searle's work on the titles for the 1970 musical feature "Scrooge." It does not appear to have been drawn on the set or, for that matter, published.

Photo by Scott Burns

Searle's 1970 sketchbook image from the set depicts Albert Finney in the title role dancing. This is a very different Scrooge and it reflects how the character appeared on screen in the production.

https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/scrooge/

A dancing Scrooge does appear in two of the title illustrations. This one is clearly right out of the sketchbook.

Director of Photography Oswald Morris

https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/scrooge/

Executive producer Alec Guinness himself played the ghost of Jacob Marley in the film.

Executive Producer Alec Guinness

https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/scrooge/

Note:  My thanks to Scott Burns! This is his fourteenth contribution to Attempted Bloggery. Without people like Scott, this blog would be nothing but humbug.

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Ronald Searle: A Christmas Carol and Hot Elder Wine

The elderberry is "the Englishman's grape" and can be used to make a rich, fruity wine. In Victorian era winters, hot elder wine was sold from stands in the street. It could also be served indoors, as it was quite generously in Charles Dickens's The Pickwick Papers (1836). This doesn't quite explain why Ronald Searle chose to depict a hot elder wine stand in his cover illustration for Dickens's classic A Christmas Carol (1843, 1961). It's a great period detail, but not one that specifically occurs in the story. So why is it here on the front of the dust jacket?

A Christmas Carol (1961)
Ronald Searle

Scan by Tom Bloom

An 1842 drawing by George Scharff shows a hot elder wine stand in Holborne. Is it possible this could have been Searle's source material? If so, Searle's version certainly isn't a slavish copy.

Hot elder wine stand seen in Holborne, detail, winter 1842
George Scharff

https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/tag/elder-wine/

A more refined commercial setup is depicted more recently in John Finnie's 1986 plate for Wedgwood.

Street Seller of Hot Elder Wine
Wedgwood, 1986
John Finnie

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wedgwood-Street-Seller-Sellers-London/dp/B001L2U7IG

Then again, perhaps it's just an incidental detail that happened to receive unusual cover prominence in the wraparound art. Searle's full spread is meant to emphasize Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim and likely was designed as interior art later forced into double duty as a cover illustration.

https://ronaldsearle.blogspot.com/2008/01/more-dickens.html

Note:  My thanks to Tom Bloom for providing the scan of the book cover which got me started on this subject. This is his fifteenth contribution to Attempted Bloggery.

Matt Jones's 2008 post called "More Dickens" includes much or even all the art from Searle's A Christmas Carol and may be seen here.

This year is Ronald Searle's centenary. I don't suppose I've mentioned that before.

At this point, we might as well go out singing:

"Elderberry Wine" (1972)

By Elton John and Bernie Taupin

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Ronald Searle's A Christmas Carol: The Gentlemen Withdrew

Seeing clearly that it would be useless to pursue their point, the gentlemen withdrew. Scrooge resumed his labours with an improved opinion of himself, and in a more facetious temper than was usual with him.

—Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Two gentlemen attempt to solicit a donation for the poor from the miser Ebenezer Scrooge. An edition of the classic Dickens Christmas tale with illustrations by Ronald Searle was published in 1961 by Perpetua, the artist's own imprint. The original artwork illustrating the gentlemen leaving the premises of Scrooge and Marley's empty-handed was sold at Christie's South Kensington in 2008.

Ronald Searle, "...The gentlemen withdrew..."
A Christmas Carol, Perpetual Books, 1961, page 17

Christie's South Kensington Sale 5360, Lot 23, July 29, 2008

http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/drawings-watercolors/ronald-william-fordham-searle-a-christmas-carol-5106476-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5106476&sid=3ebd3551-8bc0-4e36-b421-d1103eca7c02

Note:  Perpetua (get it?), the Ronald Searle tribute blog, has a host of Dickensian images by Searle under the title More Dickens. You might want to have a look.

Attempted Bloggery has a few more seasonal posts as well as a number of posts about Ronald Searle.
Go for it! You might want to see some more original book illustrations as well.

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Ronald Searle: Preparatory Title Cards for "Scrooge"

In designing the titles for "Scrooge" (1970), selected sketchbook drawings made on the set by Ronald Searle were copied by a lithographic process. From these printed sheets, he could work out the details of coloring and title overlays. A group of preparatory title graphics were sold at Bonhams Knightsbridge for £1,187 in December.

Ronald Searle, Preparatory title cards for "Scrooge" (1970)

Bonhams London, Knightsbridge December 10, 2014, Lot 100

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21948/lot/100/

"Scrooge" (1970)

Titles begin at 0:33

Note:  Check out this blog's other posts about Ronald Searle.

See all this and much more on the Ronald Searle Tribute blog's comprehensive post about the "Scrooge" titles.

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From Arthur Rackham's A Christmas Carol

This lovely watercolor illustration by Arthur Rackham was reproduced as one of twelve color plates in Rackham's 1915 edition of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge a domestic scene in which the girl he was going to marry is now a mother. It sold well at Sotheby's for 15,000 GBP including the buyer's premium, although the auction house estimate was a tad higher.

Arthur Rackham, "A Flushed and Boisterous Group,"
A Christmas Carol, 1915

Arthur Rackham, "A Flushed and Boisterous Group," A Christmas Carol, 1915
Sotheby's London Sale L12408, Lot 177, December 12, 2012

http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2012/english-literature-history-l12408/lot.177.html

Arthur Rackham, "A Flushed and Boisterous Group," A Christmas Carol, 1915

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