ARDIZZONE, Edward (illus.); NICHOLS, Freda.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Original artwork for The Milldale Riot: "The Fight on the Bridge". Published within Freda P. Nichols's The Milldale Riot (Ginn, 1965), set at the time of the Industrial Revolution. This illustration ably displays Ardizzone's skill for capturing movement and dramatic action in a black and white drawing. As noted by Horne, "Ardizzone... became one of the best loved and most prolific book artists of the period" (Horne, p. 75).This illustration is reproduced on page 116 of The Milldale Riot, from chapter 14 entitled "Irish Town". It shows a fight between "a gang of youths" and the heroes of the tale, Harriet and Nick: "With his experience as a climbing boy to aid him, Nick clung to the outside of the parapet. The Irish leant over to dislodge him. Harriet's party, arriving at this moment, gave them an enormous push. Two somersaulted through the air and landed with a squelch in the filthy mud..."

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