Young Folks Paper Issue 810
"The good woman set oat-bread before me and a cold grouse, patting my shoulder and smiling to me all the time, for she had no English; and the old gentleman (not to be behind) brewed me strong punch out of their country spirit."
-----Young Folks, no. 810, p. 353
Illustration in Literary Context
The illustration depicts the scene in the story when David arrives at the Ross of Mull after spending time stranded alone following the shipwreck of the Covenant. Once at the Ross of Mull, David encounters an unnamed man with clothes "dropping off his back" who listens to David's struggles with "gravity and pity" (Young Folks, no. 810, p. 353). After telling David that his shipmates "had got safe ashore," the gentlemen invites David into his run-down hut (353). Here, David spends time with the gentleman and his wife. This illustration by Boucher in issue 810 (pictured above) depicts the kindness, hospitality, and county spirit of the Highlander couple that takes pity on David by offering him food and a place to stay after his traumatizing experiences. David ultimately remarks that, in his good fortune "the house, though it was thick with the peat smoke and as full of holes as a colander, seemed like a palace" because of the couple's warmth (353). Overall, this illustration aids the readers by showing them how the poor, run-down home feels like a palace due to the country spirit and hospitality of the Highlander common folk.
Image of various patterns of tartan
Scottish Clothing
This illustration by Boucher in issue 810 is beneficial in helping the readers understand and visualize traditional Scottish clothing that would be worn on a common day by inhabitants. The man that David befriends is illustrated to be wearing a pair of ragged pants crafted from tartan (pictured to the right). Even though the kilt "forms a part of the traditional Highland dress, worn by Scottish clansmen and Scottish regiments" the man is wearing another common option of dress, "tartan trousers or trews," instead of the kilt (Kozhamechenok and Voinova). This illustration allows for the readers to situate themselves in the society of the Scottish Highlands in the aftermath of the Jacobite rebellion because the Highlanders at the time often relied on dress to remain true to their Scottish roots.
The woman in the illustration that David befriends is also dressed in Scottish clothing. In that time period, "women wore the plaid like a shawl" that was "generally fastened at the breast with a ring broach" made out of "brass or silver" that can sometimes be decorated (Kozhamechenok and Voinova). The woman can also be seen wearing the Highland bonnet, which is a style that "gradually made its way into the Highlands by the mid-to-late 1700s" (Kozhamechenok and Voinova). The woman ultimately gives David "an old bonnet for [his] head" to further emphasize the connection between Scottish values and clothing.