The Illustrator
William Boucher
Little is known about the life and background of esteemed illustrator William Boucher. Many scholars believe that since Boucher has an "interchangeable name" (written as "Bowcher" almost as often as "Boucher"), it makes finding details and accounts of his life to be quite difficult (Scully). The illustrator was born in Bristol, England in the year 1837 and lived a life of "stability" with his wife Ellen and their four children (Scully). After moving to London, the busy city allowed Boucher the opportunity to become an illustrator in the budding periodical scene and make a living. Even though it is quite difficult to find accounts and factual evidence "prior to the late 1860s" regarding Boucher's career, his work during this time period allowed Boucher to establish a "solid reputation" as an illustrator (Scully). With his cartoon Judy, he began "a career that would span two decades" (Scully). This trajectory of his career ultimately led Boucher to cross paths with the author Robert Louis Stevenson.
William Boucher, Self-Portrait, Garland, August 1, 1896, 13. Reproduced courtesy of the British Library.
Illustrating Kidnapped
Stevenson and Boucher developed a close, creative relationship with one another after working together on The Black Arrow, a relationship that was considered to be "atypical in the Victorian press" (Gangnes 196). While writing Kidnapped, Stevenson requested that Boucher should "accurately capture the real locations mentioned in the story wherever possible" (196). However, Stevenson also allowed Boucher "the power and responsibility to depict his [own] reading of the plot, settings, and characters of Kidnapped" (196). According to the scholar Menikoff, Stevenson's writing style for Kidnapped is often considered to be written in the form of “moods rather than depicting images," therefore, it is then up to the illustrator to "visually represent the environments and characters who evoke and experience these moods" (Menikoff). Since Boucher takes the time to illustrate and capture these complex cultures, locations, environments, and people that David encounters on his coming-of-age journey, Boucher's illustrations can aid the reader in understanding setting of this narrative.
Furthermore, the layout of Young Folks Paper, also influences Boucher's illustrations. For the serialization of Kidnapped, Boucher only had "one opportunity to capture each installment’s action and mood" because he was only given one illustration per installment (with only a slight exception as the first installment had a small illustration beside the singular, large illustration) (Gangnes 196). Therefore, for this digital project, each illustration will be dissected for each installment to highlight how Boucher's illustrations can assist readers not only in understanding the text and plot of the novel, but also can assist the readers in having a greater understanding of David's nuanced political, social, and cultural environment.