Young Folks Paper Issue 805
"That is the House of Shaws!" the woman cried, "blood built it; blood stopped the building of it; blood shall bring it down, see here!" she cried again, "I spit upon the ground and crack my thumb at it! Black be its fall!"
-----Young Folks, no. 806, p. 273
Illustration in Literary Context
The illustration is depicting a scene in Chapter II of the story when David Balfour is on his long journey towards The House of Shaws estate that is located in Cramond, a village geographically located "northwest of David's childhood home in Essendean" (Tauber). Upon arriving in Cramond, David meets "a stout, dark, sour looking woman" named Jennet Clouston as she comes "trudging down a hill" (Young Folks, no. 805, p. 274). This illustration by Boucher helps the readers to picture this woman that David comes across as she points "to a great bulk of building standing very bare upon a green in the bottom of the next valley," which is later confirmed to be Ebenezer Balfour's home (274). Furthermore, this illustration is prominent because it is the first illustration that depicts the main character of David Balfour as he holds his belongings, while dressed in clothing relative to his late 1700s Scottish society.
The Scottish Landscape
Boucher's illustration for issue 805 also helps the readers to better understand the Scottish, geographical setting of the story because the illustration depicts the Scottish countryside. Stevenson describes this natural landscape as "all set with hawthorn bushes full of flowers; the fields dotted with sheep; a fine flight of rooks in the sky; and every sign of a kind soil and climate" (274). According to Ian Adams, the "most striking features of the Scottish countryside is its geometrical appearance" and there is little "regional variation" in size and shape of the fields in lowland areas. Furthermore, the origins of these rectangular and square fields relate back to the Agricultural Revolution that "swept Scotland in the latter half of the eighteenth century" (Adams). Therefore, through Boucher's illustration, the readers can get a sense of the true landscape that David is observing.
If one looks closely at Boucher's illustration, one can also observe the aforementioned hawthorn in the bushes/natural landscape. Hawthorn (pictured to the left) is a bush of berries that can be found at "several sites" in Scotland (Larrinaga). Overall, by adding nuanced details to his illustrations, Boucher not only helps the readers visualize David and his meeting with Jennet, but Boucher also helps the readers visualize a true depiction of the natural flora and fauna of the 1700s Scottish countryside.
Image of Hawthorn Bush