Awake--For Thou Shouldst Know Me, Cerdic

Elizabeth Shippen Green learned the fundamentals of her training as an artist at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under such notable teachers as Thomas Anschutz, Robert Vonnoh, and Thomas Eakins. After her schooling, Green began to freelance as an illustrator for Philadelphia newspapers and other magazines. She also attended classes taught by Howard Pyle at Drexel University. In 1901, she was awarded an exclusive contract with Harper’s Monthly, which she enjoyed for twenty-three years.

Like many women illustrators at the turn of the century, Green favored a decorative style inspired by the illustrations of Walter Crane, the English arts and crafts movement, and the poster style of the 1890s. She preferred to work in soft mediums such as charcoal, pencil, and ink. These mediums allowed her to emphasize flat, boldly outlined shapes, and pattern effects. Awake—For Thou Shouldst Know Me, Cerdic is an illustration for The Wings by Josephine P. Peabody, a drama in one act published in Harper’s New Monthly, May 1905. Green’s decorative realism and choice of detail for Awake enhance the atmospheric qualities of the story. The intricate embroidery of the gown, the gauzy, translucent qualities of the veil, the patterned flagstones, and the wheeling birds in the open air behind the figure enrich the mystery and mysticism of the story line.