No.64

This painting “The Princes in the Tower” by John Everett Millais 1829-1896, along with the story to which it relates, was included in a book given to me when I was a quite young, and I remember that it made me quite sad. 

Edward and Richard were the sons of Edward IV. When he died in 1483, the two immediately went to the Tower of London to prepare for the coronation of the elder boy Edward. Because he was only 13, his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester was made Protector, but within a few months Parliament declared the boys illegitimate and Richard was crowned King. The two brothers were never seen again, and in 1674, when two skeletons of children were discovered in the Tower, it was assumed that these were the remains of the princes.

I’ve been trying to recall what other books I had as a boy. Arabian Nights was a collection of the well-known tales and was probably my favourite. I enjoyed stories like Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland and Treasure Island. We also had a very old Chatterbox Annual, a properly bound book, containing about 200 pages. This had belonged to someone in my father’s family, and it was full of stories, poems, pictures and paintings.

Shock-headed Peter

That picture might be familiar to older folks. I remember that it appeared in our Chatterbox Annual. Created by Heinrich Hoffman, Der Struwwelpeter consisted of ten German stories, each with a moral.

See Slovenly Peter! Here he stands, 

With his dirty hair and hands. 

See! his nails are never cut; 

They are grimed as black as soot; 

No water for many weeks, 

Has been near his cheeks; 

And the sloven, I declare, 

Not once this year has combed his hair! 

Anything to me is sweeter 

Than to see shock-headed Peter. 

One more picture from the Chatterbox Annual - another painting by John Everett Millais,  The Boyhood of Raleigh

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