Show Notes
It took a minute but I finally managed to read one of these "live" to my own family for the holidays. This is such an evocative story that I wanted to add a little art to the mix. I really want to put together a slow but detailed "animated gif" that goes through the cycles of the print as described in the tale - and maybe I'll get around to that at some point.
But for now here is some really nice artwork that captures the ideas of the tale in gothic majesty.
This piece is by Catherine Gogerty. (link to her work) In 1986, the BBC ran a series featuring Robert Powell reading ghost stories. The episode featuring The Mezzotint included creepy illustrations such as this: I've been unable to track that series down, but the illustration is quite chilling. Artist Richard Svensson produced this remarkable and evocative work - which is available in his self-published collection of M. R. James inspired images. Some previews from that set look really great over at DeviantArt. Finally - UK artist Rich Johnson has a lovely set of James inspired images that generally aspire to haunt without beating you over the head with explicitness.
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