South by East: Notes of Travel in Southern Europe (page 1/3)

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Entrance to the harbour of Messina.

The harbour of Messina, today a large and modern city, was in the 1870s protected by a fort (still present). Today there is a large stone column with a statue on top of it very prominently placed on the nearest building. In the picture there is a steamship (combining steam and sail) and other ships and boats, as well as [more...] [$]

Title Page, South by South East

The title page uses at least three typefaces in a range of sizes, and includes an emblem for Marcus Ward, the publishers. [more...] [$]

Ornate initial letter “W” with silhouettes of naked women

This ornate capital letter W has a long vertical tail or stem of trellis-work beneath the letter, which is an “inhabited initial” with two women inside it. One of the women, who are drawn as dark shaded silhouettes and face each other, is holding a large shallow bowl. The other woman pours a jug or ewer of liquid into the bowl. it is possible that behind the jug there is a pomegranate. The other initials in this series are religious in nature, so I suspect a libration is involved.

In the book, the large black letter W is five lines of text high, and the stem is another eight and a half lines, giving a total (of course) of thirteen and a half lines. The [more...] [$]

Decorative initial letter “M” – Roman military standard

This decorative initial letter “M” was used sa a drop cap at the start of the chapter; it is in the shape of a Roman standard that might have been carried by a legion of soldiers, and contains [...] [more...] [$]

Decorative chapter head with winged creatures

A decorative woodcut used at the start of the chapter on Milan; there are dragons, or possibly gryphons but with tails like serpents, and in the centre a face with hair done in pigtails; the whole is [...]sarcophagus. [more...] [$]