Poem Gallery

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by William McLaren

King Arthur welcomes the Green Knight into the Banqueting Hall and invites him to dismount and eat with the company. Everyone is amazed to see the unexpected visitor, holding a bunch of holly in one hand and a large green axe in the other. The Green Knight turns down Arthur's invitation, instead issuing a challenge, that if anyone there is brave enough to exchange blows with him, he will give them his battleaxe

© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans

Victorian Cyclists and Motorists on a Snowy Road

Illustration showing the scene on a British road in the winter, circa 1899. In the foreground cyclists, two on a tandem, can be seen. Behind them, a typical motor car of the period, with it's passengers wrapped up against the cold. In the background can be seen a motor driven van and a bicycle, with four riders. The original caption for this image, which was published in the Christmas Number, was a two verse poem entitled: Who Wants a motor-car?

© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans

Cover design for Narcisse by Nikolai Tcherepnin

Cover design for Narcisse, a mythological poem set to music by the Russian composer Nikolai Nikolayevich Tcherepnin (1873-1945). Tcherepnin wrote a ballet piece entitled Narcisse et Echo in 1911, and this may be a movement from it. A performance by the Ballets Russes took place at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in July 1912, with designs by Bakst. On this cover, a bright green faun is depicted, playing a long flute or pipe

© Mary Evans Picture Library