Miles Wallingford
1870s
Imagine being in a tiny wooden boat, tossing on rough waves, when suddenly you look up and see a massive ship looming over you, seemingly capsizing right on top of your head. That's the sheer panic captured here by Felix Octavius Carr Darley, a prolific American illustrator known for bringing literary adventures to life. This dramatic scene illustrates a moment from James Fenimore Cooper's novel 'Miles Wallingford' (also published as 'Afloat and Ashore'), where the characters face a sudden maritime disaster. The caption at the bottom perfectly sums up the terror: 'A shout burst from Marbles's throat, and a sight met my eyes that caused the blood to rush in a torrent through my heart.' It's a fantastic snapshot of 19th-century nautical fiction.