The Elephant Man: Story Illustrations continues on with more drawings to see in this third part of the story of Joseph Merrick. To recap on the second post since last summer, Dr. Frederick Treves has placed Merrick up in the Isolation Ward in the London Hospital. Unable to keep him a secret because his deformities were incurable, because they can't accept incurable patients, he takes his report to the chairman Francis Carr Gomm. By December 1886, Mr. Carr Gomm wrote to the London Times, and with the kind support from the readers, Joseph Merrick was given a home in Bedstead Square. He spends his time reading books, building cardboard models, met his first visitor Leila Maturin, and visited Treves' house in Wimpole Street.
What you are about to see here is exploring more on Joseph Merrick's comfortable life in the London Hospital. He becomes the attention to the people of the high class, including Princess Alexandra of Wales, spending the first Christmas holidays, and having his dream fulfilled to go to the theatre, with the help from Mrs. Kendal. The eleven drawings are done in digital drawing and digital painting on Autodesk SketchBook at 1400 x 1080, and research was provided from the eBook of The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences, Wikipedia, and View from the Mirror. So, sit back and enjoy! 😊
Mrs. Kendal Arranging Merrick's Gifts
Digital drawing, 1400 x 1080
Following from Mr. Carr Gomm's letter to the Times, Joseph Merrick was becoming a well-known figure in the papers, grabbing attention to the readers of high society. Later on, he begins to receive more visitors to come in and meet him in his apartment room in Bedstead Square:
"They were all good enough to welcome him with a smile and to shake hands with him. The Merrick whom I had found shivering behind a rag of a curtain in an empty shop was now conversant with duchesses and countesses and other ladies of high degree. They brought him presents, made him room bright with ornaments and pictures, and what pleased him more than all, supplied with him books."
One person who took an interest in Merrick was actress Madge Kendal. She helped raising public sympathy for him, and sent him basketful of gifts, as seen in the illustration of her preparing the gifts, including a copy of Romeo & Juliet. Interestingly enough, she even sent a basket weaver to teach Merrick how to weave baskets.
Charles Taylor Playing the Violin for Merrick
Digital drawing, 1400 x 1080
Merrick enjoyed having people visiting his room. One young visitor, Charles Taylor, who was the son of the engineer who worked on preparing Merrick's room, would come in and spend time with him. For an occasion, Taylor would bring in his violin, and play music for Merrick. If you noticed, Merrick has been given a stylish walking stick by a noble lord.
"I Am Happy Every Hour of the Day"
Digital drawing, 1400 x 1080
Joseph Merrick grew very comfortable living a happy life in his Bedstead Square home in the London Hospital, which really pleased Treves very much. Every day, he says to the doctor: "I am happy every hour of the day":
"Merrick, I may say, was now one of the most contented creatures I have chanced to meet. More than once he said to me: 'I am happy every hour of the day'. This was good to think upon when I recalled the half-dead heap of miserable humanity I had seen in the corner of the waiting-room at Liverpool Street."
For creating a touching moment, as well as illustrating the quote, I thought it would be beautiful to draw Merrick spotting a Painted Lady butterfly sitting on his window one morning, where he'll say good morning to it, and then watching it flying away, as he speaks the exact words to himself. The inspiration came from a beautiful fan art seen in Devian Art.
Link: https://www.deviantart.com/crystal-gargoyle/art/John-Hurt-Joseph-Merrick-with-Moth-839484583
Joseph Merrick Meets Princess Alexandra of Wales
Digital drawing, 1400 x 1080
In 1887, Prince Edward and Princess Alexandra of Wales came to open up two new buildings in the London Hospital. After the tour ended, the princess wished to meet Joseph Merrick, and so, Frederick Treves took her to his room to introduce him:
"The height of his social development was reached on an eventful day when Queen Alexandra - then Princess of Wales - came to the hospital to pay him a special visit. With that kindness which has marked every act of her life, the Queen entered Merrick's room smiling and shook him warmly by the hand. Merrick was transported with delight. This was beyond even his most extravagant dream. The Queen has made many people happy, but I think no gracious act of hers has ever caused such happiness as she brought into Merrick's room when she sat by his chair and talked to him as to a person she was glad to see."
From that day on, it became one of Merrick's happiest moments in his life.
The Christmas Card (From Alexandra, To Joseph)
Digital drawing, 1400 x 1080
Princess Alexandra continued to visit Merrick at the London Hospital. During the Christmas holidays, she sends him a Christmas card every year. One day, she sent him a signed photograph of herself, leaving Merrick very touched and moved by her kindness, with tears of joy. The photograph became his very special treasure:
"The Queen paid Merrick many visits and sent him every year a Christmas card with a message in her own handwriting. On one occasion she sent him a signed photograph of herself. Merrick, quite overcome, regarded it as a sacred object and would hardly allow me to touch it. He cried over it, and after it was framed had it put up in his room as a kind of ikon."
It's such a beautiful and sweet moment for Joseph to have a very special Christmas gift, especially given by a royal next in line to the throne. Advised by Treves, he wrote his letter to Alexandra to thank her for the signed photograph.
Treves Gives Merrick His Christmas Present
Digital drawing, 1400 x 1080
Treves was given some money from Merrick's visitors for charity, and with that, he decides to spend it on a Christmas present for Merrick. After asking him on what he would like to have for Christmas, the shy Merrick shows Treves a picture from the newspaper: a dressing bag with silver fitting. Though Treves didn't understand on Merrick wanting a dressing bag, as he could not travel anywhere with it, but he felt it was important for him to keep him as happy as he could, until a sudden though came into his mind:
"The association of a silver-fitted dressing-bag with the poor wretch wrapped up in a dirty blanket in an empty shop was hard to comprehend. I fathomed the mystery in time, for Merrick made little secret of the fancies that haunted his boyish brain. Just a small girl with a tinsel coronet and a window curtain for a train will realize the conception of a countess on her way to court, so Merrick loved to imagine himself a dandy and a young man about town. Mentally, no doubt, he had frequently "dressed up" for the part. He could "make-believe" with great effect, but he wanted something to render his fancied character more realistic. Hence the jaunty bag which was to assume the function of the toy coronet and the window curtain that could transform a mite with a pigtail into a countess."
A good way to illustrate a wonderful Christmas moment was by having Treves coming in to give Merrick his gift, and after opening it, Merrick is filled with joy and delight to see the dressing bag he wanted.
Joseph Merrick in his Imaginative Play
Digital drawing, 1400 x 1080
When being left alone in his room, Merrick would lay out his dressing bag on his desk, and experiment the supplies, such as the ivory razors, shoehorn, silver brushes, toothbrush, jarful of cologne, and a silver cigarette case. Although he couldn't shave, smoke, brushing his teeth, nor shining shoes, he didn't mind it by just simply imagine it, even imagining himself as a humble and noble young gentleman talking to the high-class friends and charming a beautiful lady:
"Still the bag was an emblem of the real swell and of the knockabout Don Juan of whom he had read. So every day Merrick laid out upon his table, with proud precision, the silver brushes, the razors, the shoe-horn and the silver cigarette-case which I had taken care to fill with cigarettes. The contemplation of these gave him great pleasure and such is the power of self-deception that they convinced him he was the 'real thing'."
Treves describes Merrick's personality as similar to a child. He was, what I would call him, a lonely dreamer, simply because maybe there were things he couldn't do as a young boy, even when his deformities grew very grotesque throughout his adulthood. His dream was to be loved by people by looking him as a human being, not a monster. Expressing an imagination and dreams can be a key to a person's safety to allow them escape from terrible experiences.
Getting Ready for the Theatre
Digital drawing, 1400 x 1080
A Christmas pantomime was planned at Drury Lane Theatre (now as Theatre Royal, Drury Lane). Merrick had always wanted to go to the theatre, but Treves didn't think it would be wise for him to try, fearing that the audience would take one noticed at the Elephant Man, and everything would be filled with horror. The main question was how will Joseph Merrick go to the theatre without people seeing him? Here's the answer:
"A more burning ambition of his was to go to the theatre. It was a project very difficult to satisfy. A popular pantomime was then in progress at Drury Lane Theatre, but the problem was how so conspicuous a being as the Elephant Man could be got there, and how he was to see the performance without attracting the notice of the audience and causing a panic or, at least, an unpleasant diversion. The whole matter was most ingeniously carried through but that kindest of women and most able of actresses - Mrs. Kendal. She made the necessary arrangements with the lessee of the theatre. A box was obtained."
Mrs. Kendal suggested that Merrick can go to the theatre by letting him be seated in Lady Burdett-Coutts' private box, in the dark, so no one would notice him. Finally, Merrick's dream had come true.
The Christmas Pantomime
Digital drawing, 1400 x 1080
Treves, Merrick, and three nurses arrived in Drury Lane Theatre. They all sat in Lady Burdett-Coutts' private box, kept in the shadows, so the audience won't see Merrick. The pantomime was the production of the classic fairy-tale, Puss in Boots. During the performance, Joseph Merrick was overcome with excitement and overwhelmed by wonders, seeing the story and characters coming to life on stage in this very special experience in his life:
"The spectacle left him speechless, so that if he were spoken to he took no heed. He often seemed to be panting for breath. I could not help comparing him with a man of his own age in the stalls. This satiated individual was bored to distraction, would look wearily at the stage from time to time and then yawn as if he had not slept for nights; while at the same time Merrick was thrilled by a vision that was almost beyond his comprehension."
Pen on a drawing pad
If you would like to see Merrick's reaction on the play, I thought I share a pen sketch of him reacting excitingly, which you all may have seen it on Facebook and Instagram a week ago. You can see the twinkling light on his eyes, but I wished I made the sparkles on his eyes a bit bigger.
Joseph Merrick Meets Mrs. Kendal
Digital drawing, 1400 x 1080
This may not be necessary for this story, but I thought it would be nice to include an illustration of Joseph Merrick meeting Mrs. Kendal for the first time, after the show. Even though she was responsible for bringing public sympathy and inviting Merrick to come to the theatre, these two might never met in-person. However, the interaction between them has been popular in the Broadway play and in the 1980 film with Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Kendal.
Of course, some of you may be fans of the play, the film, or both, and plus, it's nice to use our imagination. The design of Mrs. Kendal's dress came from the black and white photograph of her wearing this exact dress, which I used as an inspiration, but adding pieces of my own design and color schemes in mix of cream green and black.
Movie clip: https://www.tcm.com/video/829581/elephant-man-the-1980-movie-clip-then-have-my-lips
Returning Home from the Play
Digital drawing, 1400 x 1080
Merrick returns home from the theatre, leaving him with such amazing enthusiasm. He loved it. He felt that the play was absolutely real in his own eyes. Within the next day, he repeatedly talked about the play, wondering and dreaming about what are the characters doing afterwards:
"Merrick talked of this pantomime for weeks and weeks. To him, as to a child with the faculty of make-believe, everything was real; the palace was the home of kings, the princess was of royal blood, the fairies were as undoubted as the children in the street, while the dishes at the banquet were of unquestionable gold. He did not like to discuss it as a play but rather as a vision of some actual world. When this mood possessed him he would say: 'I wonder what the prince did after we left,' or 'Do you think that poor man is still in the dungeon?' and so on and so on."
This pose was inspired by the black and white screenshot of John Hurt as Merrick from The Elephant Man (1980) film; it's an image of him sitting down on his chair, after completing his church model during the ending of it.
So those are the illustrations for Part 3 of The Elephant Man: Story Illustrations! The last one will focus on Merrick spending his summer holidays at the country to his death in April 1890, and his legacy. If you have not got the chance to see the illustrations from Part 2, please check them out in the link down below. You can also find the first illustrations for Part 1 on this blog, too.
Link:
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