The Definitive Dwiggins no. 703A—How the Old World Found the New: Marco Polo, Prince Henry the Navigator, and Vasco da Gama

This is the first installment of a detailed account of each of the illustrations in How the Old World Found the New that I believe Dwiggins reworked in varying degrees. [1] They are presented in the order in which they appear in the book, preceded by notes on their probable source and, wherever possible, primary and secondary images. This installment covers pages 7 to 59 concerning Marco Polo, Prince Henry the Navigator, and Vasco da Gama.

List of reworked illustrations and their sources for pp. 7–57
p. 7 “Marco’s Father and Uncle Starting on Their Journey in Asia”

The original image is a miniature from the manuscript book Le Livre des Merveilles du Monde (BnF Fr2810) (c. 1410-1412). Drawings based on it appear in The Adventures of Marco Polo, the Great Traveler edited by Edward Atherton (New York and London: D. Appleton and Company, 1902), p. 3 and The Book of Discovery (1912) A Book of Discovery: The History of the World’s Exploration, from the Earliest Times to the Finding of the South Pole (London: T. C. & E. C. Jack, Ltd., 1912), p. 116.

“The Polos Leaving Constantinople” miniature from Livre des merveilles du monde manuscript (BnF Fr2810) (c. 1410-1412), fol. 1 detail.

“How the Brothers Polo Set Out from Constantinople with Their Nephew Marco for China” from A Book of Discovery: The History of the World’s Exploration, from the Earliest Times to the Finding of the South Pole by M.B. Synge (London: T. C. & E. C. Jack, Ltd., 1912), p. 116.

“Marco’s Father and Uncle Starting on Their Journey to Asia” from How the Old World Found the New by Eunice Fuller Barnard and Lida Lee Tall (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1929), p. 7. Illustration by W.A. Dwiggins.

p. 8 “The Great Khan Giving the Polos His Golden Tablet”

The original image is another miniature from the manuscript book Le Livre des Merveilles du Monde (BnF Fr2810) (c. 1410-1412). Drawings based on it appear in The Book of Ser Marco Polo the Venetian Concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East translated and edited by Henry Yule (London: J. Murray, 1871), vol. 1, p. 14; The Travels of Marco Polo for Boys and Girls by Thomas W. Knox (New York and London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1885), p. 26 and The Adventures of Marco Polo, the Great Traveler edited by Edward Atherton (New York and London: D. Appleton and Company, 1902), p. 33. 

“The Great Khan Giving a Golden Tablet to the Brothers Polo” from Livre des merveilles du monde manuscript (BnF Fr2810) (c. 1410-1412), fol. 3v.

“The Great Khan Delivering the Tablet of Gold to the Brothers” from The Travels of Marco Polo for Boys and Girls by Thomas W. Knox (New York and London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1885), p. 26.

“The Great Khan Giving the Polos His Golden Tablet” from How the Old World Found the New by Eunice Fuller Barnard and Lida Lee Tall (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1929), p. 8. Illustration by W.A. Dwiggins.

p. 13 “A Tatar House Drawn by Oxen”

The earliest example of this illustration is in The Book of Ser Marco Polo the Venetian Concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East translated and edited by Henry Yule (London: J. Murray, 1871), vol. 1, p. 223. It was “drawn by Sig. Quinto Cenni on a design compiled by the Editor [Yule] from the descriptions of medieval and later travellers.” [2] Other versions are in The Travels of Marco Polo for Boys and Girls by Thomas W. Knox (New York and London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1885), p. 168; The Story of Marco Polo by Noah Brooks (New York: The Century Co., 1897), after p. 190; The Adventures of Marco Polo, the Great Traveler edited by Edward Atherton (New York and London: D. Appleton and Company, 1902), p. 17. Dwiggins probably worked from the version of the illustration in the 1921 edition of Yule’s translation.

“Medieval Tartar Huts and Waggons” from The Book of Ser Marco Polo the Venetian Concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East translated and edited by Henry Yule (London: J. Murray, 1871), vol. I, p. 223. Illustration by Quinto Cenni.

“A Tatar House Drawn by Oxen” from How the Old World Found the New by Eunice Fuller Barnard and Lida Lee Tall (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1929), p. 13. Illustration by W.A. Dwiggins after Quinto Cenni.

p. 18 “Kublai Khan”

This portrait of Kublai Khan ostensibly comes from “a Chinese engraving in the Encyclopedia called San-Thsai-Thou-Hoei,” according to Henry Yule who reproduced it in The Book of Ser Marco Polo the Venetian Concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East (London: J. Murray, 1871), vol. 1, p. 319. Many books copied the portrait with only minor discrepancies. The version in How the Old World Found the New is so close to the one in the 1903 edition of The Book of Ser Marco Polo that Dwiggins did little more than open up a few clogged areas. (He definitely did not work from the version in A Book of Discovery by M.B. Synge [1912] which differs subtly from the Yule portraits.)

“Portrait of Kúblái Kaan” from The Book of Ser Marco Polo translated and edited by Henry Yule (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1903), vol. I, p. 357.

“Kublai Khan” from How the Old World Found the New by Eunice Fuller Barnard and Lida Lee Tall (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1929), p. 18.

p. 25 “Marco Polo’s Fleet”

This illustration is misnamed. In The Book of Ser Marco Polo the Venetian Concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East translated and edited by Henry Yule (London: J. Murray, 1871), vol. 2, before p. 195 it is captioned “The Khan’s Fleet Passing through the Indian Archipelago.” Other books also indicate that the fleet is that of the Grand Khan and not Marco Polo. [3]

“The Kaan’s Fleet passing through the Indian Archipelago” from The Book of Ser Marco Polo the Venetian Concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East translated and edited by Henry Yule (London: J. Murray, 1871), vol. II, opposite p. 195. Drawn by Henry Yule.

“Marco Polo’s Fleet” from How the Old World Found the New by Eunice Fuller Barnard and Lida Lee Tall (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1929), p. 25. Illustration by W.A. Dwiggins after Henry Yule.

p. 27 “The Polos in Tatar Costume”

This illustration is based on “Messer Marco Polo, with Messer Nicolo and Messer Maffeo, returned from xxvi year’s sojourn in the Orient, is denied entrance to the Ca’ Polo” in The Book of Ser Marco Polo translated and edited by Henry Yule (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1903), vol. I which was apparently created for this American edition of Yule’s translation. It is copied by later books about Marco Polo such as the 1912 edition of The Adventures of Marco Polo, the Great Traveler edited by Edward Atherton (p. 39).

“Messer Marco Polo and Messer Maffeo…” from The Book of Ser Marco Polo translated and edited by Henry Yule (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1903), vol. I, before title page. Illustration possibly by Quinto Cenni.

“The Polos in Tatar Costume” from How the Old World Found the New by Eunice Fuller Barnard and Lida Lee Tall (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1929), p. 27. Illustration by W.A. Dwiggins after Quinto Cenni.

Note how Dwiggins has changed the illustration from a round format to a square one. In doing so, he has deleted the people at the upper left and right, redrawn the window at the right, dispensed with the dog in the center front while emphasizing the barking dog at the right, and added more people at the right.

p. 30 “Marco Polo’s War Galley”

This was originally another drawing by Quinto Cenni from The Book of Ser Marco Polo the Venetian Concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East translated and edited by Henry Yule (London: J. Murray, 1871), vol. I, p. lxxvii. Subsequent books on Marco Polo such as those by Knox and Atherton copied it. [4]

“Marco Polo’s Galley going into action at Curzola” from The Book of Ser Marco Polo the Venetian Concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East translated and edited by Henry Yule (London: J. Murray, 1871), vol. I. Illustration by Quinto Cenni.

“Marco Polo’s War Galley” from How the Old World Found the New by Eunice Fuller Barnard and Lida Lee Tall (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1929), p. 30. Illustration by W.A. Dwiggins after Quinto Cenni.

Dwiggins has changed the posture of the small figure on the second galley at lower right.

p. 31 “Marco Polo in Prison at Genoa”

This illustration is based on “Marco Polo in the Prison of Genoa” in The Book of Ser Marco Polo translated and edited by Henry Yule (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1903), vol. II. Like its companion in volume I, it was copied by later books about Marco Polo such as the 1912 edition of The Adventures of Marco Polo, the Great Traveler edited by Edward Atherton (p. xvi). Some other versions have an inscription added above Marco Polo’s outstretched arm. Both illustrations look as if they were signed by Cenni.

“Marco Polo in the Prison at Genoa” from The Book of Ser Marco Polo translated and edited by Henry Yule (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1903), vol. II, before title page. Illustration possibly by Quinto Cenni.

“Marco Polo in Prison at Genoa” from How the Old World Found the New by Eunice Fuller Barnard and Lida Lee Tall (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1929), p. 31. Illustration by W.A. Dwiggins after Quinto Cenni.

Dwiggins has again changed the format from round to square and edited the scene. This time he has deleted the iron ring on the wall and extraneous pitcher in front.

p. 37 “Prince Henry the Navigator”

The portrait of Prince Henry of Portugal “dressed as a knight of the garter” is derived from an engraving by Simon van de Passe (c. 1595-1647) which I have been unable to locate. It was reproduced in at least three books between 1910 and 1920: Ships & Ways of Other Days by E. Keble Chatterton (London: Sidgwick & Jackson, Ltd., 1913), opp. p. 129; The World and Its Discovery by Henry B. Wetherill (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1914), following p. 18; and Our Ancestors: An Introduction to American History by Jennie Hall (Boston: Silver, Burdett and Company, 1916), p. 352. Dwiggins probably copied the version in the latter book since J. Montgomery Gambrill had been its consulting editor.

“Henry the Navigator” from Our Ancestors: An Introduction to American History by Jennie Hall (Boston: Silver, Burdett and Company, 1916), p. 352.

“Prince Henry the Navigator” from How the Old World Found the New by Eunice Fuller Barnard and Lida Lee Tall (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1929), p. 37. Illustration by W.A. Dwiggins after Simon van de Passe.

Dwiggins has removed all of the soldiers to increase the focus on Prince Henry. [5]

p. 41 “Seamen Studying Navigation”

The original illustration, entitled “Licht der Zeevaert” (The Light of Navigation), was the frontispiece to Segelhandbuch by Willem Janszoon Blaeu (Amsterdam: 1608), the celebrated cartographer. Dwiggins most likely copied the version in Ships & Ways by E. Keble Chatterton (London: Sidgwick & Jackson, Ltd., 1913). His recreation boils Blaeu’s image down to its essence, stripping away the metaphorical and allegorical components, to concentrate attention on the seamen and their instruments of navigation.

“Sixteenth-century Seamen Studying the art of navigation” from Ships & Ways by E. Keble Chatterton (London: Sidgwick & Jackson, Ltd., 1913), p. 207. Illustration by Willem Janszoon Blaeu.

“Seamen Studying Navigation” from How the Old World Found the New by Eunice Fuller Barnard and Lida Lee Tall (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1929), p. 41. Illustration by W.A. Dwiggins after Willem Janszoon Blaeu.

p. 45 “A Portuguese Caravel”

This illustration can be traced back to From A Journal of the First Voyage of Vasco da Gama, 1497-1499 by Alvaro Velho (London: The Hakluyt Society, 1898), p. 158. I have not found it anywhere else.

“A Caravel” in From A Journal of the First Voyage of Vasco da Gama, 1497-1499 by Alvaro Velho (London: The Hakluyt Society, 1898), p. 158. Unknown illustrator.

“A Portuguese Caravel” from How the Old World Found the New by Eunice Fuller Barnard and Lida Lee Tall (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1929), p. 45. Illustration by W.A. Dwiggins.

Dwiggins has placed the caravel in a larger setting and added a few crew members. (And he has flipped the direction of the flag on the main mast.)

p. 47 “A Portuguese Ship”

This illustration is of “A Ship of Albuquerque’s Fleet” from a 1516 woodcut in the British Museum. It apparently first appeared in A Book of Discovery by M.B. Synge (London: T. C. & E. C. Jack, Ltd., 1912), p. 185. But it is more likely that Dwiggins copied it from Our Ancestors: An Introduction to American History by Jennie Hall (Boston: Silver, Burdett and Company, 1916), p. 345.

“A Portuguese Ship” from Our Ancestors: An Introduction to American History by Jennie Hall (Boston: Silver, Burdett and Company, 1916), p. 345

“A Portuguese Ship” from How the Old World Found the New by Eunice Fuller Barnard and Lida Lee Tall (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1929), p. 45. Illustration by W.A. Dwiggins.

Dwiggins’ version is subtly different from those in the Synge and Hall books. Not only are the waves gone, but a seascape has been added, the rigging is more refined, and the perspective of the deck is has been made more realistic.

p. 48 “Three of Vasco da Gama’s Ships”

This tiny illustration also appeared initially in From A Journal of the First Voyage of Vasco da Gama, 1497-1499 by Alvaro Velho (London: The Hakluyt Society, 1898), p. 160. But its origins lie in a painting made on the order of D. Jorge Cabral, Governor of India in 1549-50. It is unclear whether or not Dwiggins intervened in the version in How the Old World Found the New. It does not look as if anything has been done to the figure holding the banner at the top, yet the ships themselves have been visually strengthened.

“The supposed Armada of Vasco da Gama” in From A Journal of the First Voyage of Vasco da Gama, 1497-1499 by Alvaro Velho (London: The Hakluyt Society, 1898), p. 160.

“Three of Vasco da Gama’s Ships” from How the Old World Found the New by Eunice Fuller Barnard and Lida Lee Tall (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1929), p. 45.

p. 54 “The Pillar Set Up by Vasco Da Gama at Malindi”

This illustration is also found initially in From A Journal of the First Voyage of Vasco da Gama, 1497-1499 by Alvaro Velho (London: The Hakluyt Society, 1898), p. 90. There it is described as being based on a photograph by Sir John Kirk.

“Vasco da Gama’s Pillar at Malindi” in From A Journal of the First Voyage of Vasco da Gama, 1497-1499 by Alvaro Velho (London: The Hakluyt Society, 1898), p. 90.

“The Pillar Set Up by Vasco da Gama at Malindi” from How the Old World Found the New by Eunice Fuller Barnard and Lida Lee Tall (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1929), p. 54. Illustration by W.A. Dwiggins.

p. 57 “Vasco Da Gama in His Robe as Viceroy of India”

The depiction of Vasco da Gama as the Viceroy of India exists in a number of books, but there are subtle differences among them. Dwiggins’ version probably came from the one in A Book of Discovery by M.B. Synge (London: T. C. & E. C. Jack, Ltd., 1912), p. 173 which itself is based on a painting by P. Barretto de Resendre that is included in The Commentaries of the Great Dalboquerque, Second Viceroy of India translated by Walter de Gray Birch (London: Hakluyt Society, 1880), vol. III, frontispiece. As one looks at the versions over time, da Gama becomes more and more regal.

“Dom Vasco da Gama” from The Commentaries of the Great Dalboquerque, Second Viceroy of India translated by Walter de Gray Birch (London: Hakluyt Society, 1880), vol. III, frontispiece.

“Vasco da Gama” from A Book of Discovery by M.B. Synge (London: T. C. & E. C. Jack, Ltd., 1912), p. 173.

“Vasco da Gama in His Robe as Viceroy of India” from How the Old World Found the New by Eunice Fuller Barnard and Lida Lee Tall (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1929), p. 54. Illustration by W.A. Dwiggins.

Note the adjustments to the cloth covering the table beneath the helmet.

Notes
1. See The Definitive Dwiggins no. 702 for an analysis of the different categories of redrawing that Dwiggins undertook for the various illustrations.
2. Quinto Cenni (1845–1917) was an Italian painter, engraver, lithographer and illustrator.
3. See The Travels of Marco Polo for Boys and Girls by Thomas W. Knox (New York and London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1885), p. 409; Heroes of Unknown Seas and Savage Lands by James W. Buel (San Francisco and Portland: Pacific Publishing Co., 1891), p. 130; and The Adventures of Marco Polo, the Great Traveler edited by Edward Atherton (New York and London: D. Appleton and Company, 1902), p. 142.
4. See The Travels of Marco Polo for Boys and Girls by Thomas W. Knox (New York and London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1885), p. 5; and The Adventures of Marco Polo, the Great Traveler edited by Edward Atherton (New York and London: D. Appleton and Company, 1902), p. 43.
5. The redrawing of Prince Henry the Navigator may not be by Dwiggins. There is an unexplained monogram in the lower left corner that does not appear in any other version of the illustration I have seen. Also, the recreation of the lettering is below Dwiggins’ standards.

Bibliography
Atherton, Edward, ed. The Adventures of Marco Polo, the Great Traveler (New York and London: D. Appleton and Company, 1912)
Birch, Walter de Gary, trans. The Commentaries of the Great Dalboquerque, Second Viceroy of India (London: Hakluyt Society, 1880), vol. III
Brooks, Noah. The Story of Marco Polo (New York: The Century Co., 1897)
Buel, James W. Heroes of Unknown Seas and Savage Lands (San Francisco and Portland: Pacific Publishing Co., 1891)
Chatterton, E. Keble. Ships & Ways of Other Days (London: Sidgwick & Jackson, Ltd., 1913)
Hall, Jennie. Our Ancestors: An Introduction to American History (Boston: Silver, Burdett and Company, 1916)
Kelsey, D.M. The New World Heroes of Discovery and Conquest… (Philadelphia: National Publishing Company, 1904)
Knox, Thomas W. The Travels of Marco Polo for Boys and Girls (New York and London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1885)
Synge, M.B. A Book of Discovery: The History of the World’s Exploration, from the Earliest Times to the Finding of the South Pole (London: T. C. & E. C. Jack, Ltd., 1912)
Velho, Alvaro. From A Journal of the First Voyage of Vasco da Gama, 1497-1499 (London: The Hakluyt Society, 1898)
Yule, Henry, trans. and ed. The Book of Ser Marco Polo the Venetian Concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East (London: J. Murray, 1871), 2 vols.
Yule, Henry, trans. and ed. The Book of Ser Marco Polo the Venetian Concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East 3rd ed. (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1903), 2 vols.