Monday, August 5, 2013

Mystery update: Did Daphine Richardson create this illustration?



Three weeks ago today, I presented a unique endpaper illustration from the 1912 novel "Corporal Cameron." While I was impressed by the artwork, I was also left wondering who the artist had been.

What is presumably the artist's name, shown in the second image above, was not 100% legible. Joan and I had some guesses, but we also wanted to hear your thoughts.

And so W.G. Burns of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, provided the following:

"The signature looks like Daphine Richardson, guessing at a few letters. What's interesting ... is the Richardson family on Wellington Crescent, grain merchants in Winnipeg and NOT known for any artistic ability nor for anyone called Daphine, lived directly across the river (Assiniboine) from the Ralph Connor House on West Gate. The Richardson House is now torn done and the land was donated to the city of Winnipeg for a park. The Ralph Connor House is owned by the University of Manitoba Women's Alumnae."

Very interesting. ... I agree that Daphine Richardson (with a middle initial of W) is a possibility for that name, especially the Richardson part. And is it just coincidence that the author of "Corporal Cameron" lived near the estate of a famous family named Richardson?

I think this is a lead worth pursuing further...

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