653. Charles Shannon's Design of Pan Surrounded by Nymphs

One of Ricketts's and Shannon's most comprehensive projects in the early 1890s was an illustrated edition of the classic story of Daphnis and Chloe. Shannon had found an early English translation which they thought was much better than Amyot's French version and they decided to illustrate the story with wood-engravings and publish it themselves. However, halfway through - almost a year was needed just to cut the thirty-seven engravings - they agreed with Elkin Mathews and John Lane that The Bodley Head would distribute the book. 

Vignette for the colophon of Daphnis and Chloe (1893):
trial proof, signed 'C Ricketts'
[British Museum, 1913,0814.31]
[Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license]

The wood-engravings were designed by Ricketts and Shannon, drawn on the wood by Ricketts, and engraved by both. Trial proofs of many of the illustrations exist, printed in black but also in ochre, red and reddish brown, and a large proportion of the separate prints were signed by Shannon or Ricketts (on these their signatures never appear together).

Although they had both become accustomed to signing their work - Ricketts's illustrations in magazines or Shannon's lithographs, for example - the wood-engravings in the book were not signed. However, there is remarkably a single exception.

Wood-engraving of Pan and nymphs for Daphnis and Chloe (1893)
Trial proof, signed 'Charles Shannon'
[British Museum, 1913,0814.17]
[Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license]

In the book, on page 45, Shannon illustrated a scene in an orchard or wood, depicting Pan surrounded by nymphs. Each of them holds or has an apple. In the lower left hand corner Shannon engraved his initials 'CHS'.

Wood-engraving of Pan and nymphs for Daphnis and Chloe (1893)
Trial proof, signed 'Charles Shannon': detail
[British Museum, 1913,0814.17]
[Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license]

But why does this wood-engraving bear Shannon's initials? Why were they not omitted as in the other illustrations? This authorship issue removes the uniformity of their collaboration. 

Why did Shannon want to claim precisely this illustration? We cannot assume that Ricketts disagreed with this representation and that it was therefore left to Shannon. Or is this one of the first blocks to be cut and does their decision to anonymise the illustrations - or rather see them as the work of both artists - date from later?

The initials could somehow have been removed or covered up at a later stage, but this was not done, even though work was done on the block after the trial proof was printed. 

Wood-engraving of Pan and nymphs for Daphnis and Chloe (1893)
Trial proof, signed 'Charles Shannon': detail
[British Museum, 1913,0814.17]
[Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license]

The reclining nymph on the bottom right is wearing a dress with a fold that extends from her waist to the level of her knee in the trial proof. In the book, this black curve has been removed, creating a white space that is in line with the lightness of the other figures in the lower quarter of the image, in contrast to the darkness of the trees in the upper part.

Charles Shannon, wood-engraving of Pan and nymphs
in Daphnis and Chloe (1893): detail