An excerpt from the Diary of Professor Matthias Jeremiah Braithwaite; a Victorian investigator of the paranormal, on his travels around York, a city most haunted.
Dear Diary
“In a quite remarkable setting, lit by a crescent moon, I observe a particularly melancholy scene. A shrouded figure, as quiet as a nun, which I perceive to be a girl or slightly-built lady, holds a silent vigil at the grave of William Etty. I observe a pansy embroidered on her shroud as she floats silently along the ruined walls of St Mary’s Abbey. Through an opening in the walls, behind railings to the rear of St Olave’s Church, I spy the tomb of Etty. Eerie lights flicker like candles, illuminated by my clockwork lantern. It is as if this strange being is keeping vigil over the grave, connected by an unworldly force. As the moonlight fades and the lights begin to dim the shrouded figure disappears, leaving behind a still, serene image.
I swiftly gather my belongings and head from the Abbey since being in the gardens of the museum after nightfall is not permitted. Although I had attempted to seek the permission of the garden’s management to remain longer, they had dismissed my request as folly. I had, therefore, been obliged to gain entry through a gap in the railings and, although I consider my work to be for scientific purposes, others may perceive it as trespassing. I must return the way I came post haste. As I contemplate that to which I have just borne witness, I feel a familiar sense of unease. With the last remaining turns of my clockwork lantern I survey my surroundings and, by the very last flicker, I spy in the distance a tall, thin, figure. This time it is not a shrouded figure but a top-hatted man, motionless and watching, and as the light of my lantern finally fails, I shout “You there”. But as my eyes adjust to the darkness I see that he is gone.
I deduce that I am left with two mysteries to solve: the identity of the top-hatted figure and also that of the shrouded girl. My knowledge of Mr Etty derives from my childhood when he was still a working artist and my mother had enlisted myself and my bother to accompany her to London to see his works - namely The Sirens and Ulysses - at the Summer Exhibition. After viewing, my mother had felt its content inappropriate for such a young boy as myself. My older brother however, who was not spared, relished in relaying to me the disturbing images of nude women and corpses. I was sure that he was amusing himself at my expense but it transpired to be all true when I finally glimpsed the painting for myself at a gallery in Manchester some twenty years later.
Upon studying Etty’s life I learn that he had many models, but painted mostly in his London apartments. A key figure in his life in York was his niece Betsy. They were devoted to each other and she lived with him and cared for the old bachelor until the time of his death. Etty is rumoured to have been so vexed that Betsy would marry and leave him that he forced her to sign an affidavit committing her to his care. Perhaps this is the bond of devotion I witnessed in the gardens that night; a silent figure still caring for her charge beyond the grave.”
M.J. Braithwaite
The print is presented in a black mount with outer dimensions 14x10"
The diary entry, printed on parchment effect paper, is in the reverse.
Also available in monochrome and a special 'enchanted' edition.
Our favourite frame choices for this picture are distressed pastel black or small linear black. The prints are framed on demand in the gallery's workshop - if the print is in stock, we can frame it! Do contact the gallery if you need help with framing, as we stock many other frames in this size.
© The Artist
