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Lot Essay
When commenting on his responsibility as an illustrator, N.C. Wyeth remarked that his priority is to "be engaged as a potent addition to an author's works and not merely a collection of pictures starring for themselves, bent on dividing the reader's attention and further depleting the splendid illusions created by the text. Consequently, his initial demand of the illustrator is to strike at the very heart of a story; to paint in livid colors and masses, bold statements of the important characters." ("A Suggestion and a Comment on Illustrating Fiction," The New York Times, October 13, 1912)
Wyeth was asked to illustrate James Francis Dwyer's story, "At the World's Outposts," for the July 17, 1915 issue of Collier's Weekly. He began working on the illustrations as early as mid-November 1914 and, in the end, completed three images to accompany the text.
This painting, The Sea-Spider, shows the main character, Stannard the Terrible, perched atop a rocky outcropping on the Isle of Lost Ships. In Dwyer's story, Stannard lives alone on the island in a small shack that is filled with treasure that he has looted from the wrecked ships that have come ashore. In telling the tale of Stannard, Dwyer recounts the chant that local sailors sing: "Stannard the Terrible waits on his isle/With a laugh on his lips and a heart full of guile,/The current from Blerveaux brings treasure ships down/And he laughs when they strike and their brave sailors drown,/For Stannard the Terrible finds in the hold/Rubies and emeralds, diamonds and gold." (J.F. Dwyer, "At the World's Outposts," Collier's Weekly, 1915, p. 17)
The Sea-Spider was given its title based on Dwyer's vivid portrayal of the main character. He describes Stannard as having sat "on that lonely island like a bloated spider, watching the yellow current that tore past Blerveaux Light and carried doomed vessels down to the Isle of Lost Ships." ("At the World's Outposts," p. 17)
With this strong image, Wyeth has accomplished his goal of providing an illustrated accompaniment to Dwyer's tale. Wyeth's illustrations help set the stage for Dwyer's daring story and hold the reader's attention as the tale unfolds.
Wyeth was asked to illustrate James Francis Dwyer's story, "At the World's Outposts," for the July 17, 1915 issue of Collier's Weekly. He began working on the illustrations as early as mid-November 1914 and, in the end, completed three images to accompany the text.
This painting, The Sea-Spider, shows the main character, Stannard the Terrible, perched atop a rocky outcropping on the Isle of Lost Ships. In Dwyer's story, Stannard lives alone on the island in a small shack that is filled with treasure that he has looted from the wrecked ships that have come ashore. In telling the tale of Stannard, Dwyer recounts the chant that local sailors sing: "Stannard the Terrible waits on his isle/With a laugh on his lips and a heart full of guile,/The current from Blerveaux brings treasure ships down/And he laughs when they strike and their brave sailors drown,/For Stannard the Terrible finds in the hold/Rubies and emeralds, diamonds and gold." (J.F. Dwyer, "At the World's Outposts," Collier's Weekly, 1915, p. 17)
The Sea-Spider was given its title based on Dwyer's vivid portrayal of the main character. He describes Stannard as having sat "on that lonely island like a bloated spider, watching the yellow current that tore past Blerveaux Light and carried doomed vessels down to the Isle of Lost Ships." ("At the World's Outposts," p. 17)
With this strong image, Wyeth has accomplished his goal of providing an illustrated accompaniment to Dwyer's tale. Wyeth's illustrations help set the stage for Dwyer's daring story and hold the reader's attention as the tale unfolds.