Scilly- through the eyes of The Duchess of Auriga, Book Illustration by jeanni

Book illustration

Scilly – through the eyes of the 'Duchess’ of Auriga

"In 2006, I published a book of my late grandmother's photographs which depicted maritime history and island life in the Isles of Scilly throughout the 20th Century. To compliment this nostalgic trip back through the Scilly of yesteryear, Jeanni painted three cartoons and two acrylic paintings depicting events for which no illustrations had ever existed.

The three cartoons served as amusingly visual portrayals of local anecdotes to be found within the narrative of the book and prompted some very favourable comments from purchasers of the book.

The two acrylic paintings were beautifully crafted. The first depicted a local tragedy - an RAF fighter pilot's eye view of the last seconds before his Hurricane clipped the masts of the islands' steamship RMS Scillonian when on escort duty during World War Two. The aircraft crashed into the sea seconds later, killing the pilot.

The second painting was a sunset-lit impression of the aforementioned ship RMS Scillonian during one of her voyages between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly. The scene is highly romanticized by the addition of the two central characters (in classic pose on the vessel's bow) from the 1997 film ‘Titanic’ and beautifully underscores the 'rose-tinted' narration within the book of a sea voyage to these romantic islands.

These two paintings enhanced the nostalgic content of the book and elicited further praiseworthy comments from those who have read it."

Jeremy Reseigh-Watts
Author of Scilly –through the eyes of the 'Duchess’ of Auriga