The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. [Fore-Edge Painting].

"Robinson Crusoe is the most popular, delightful, and extraordinary of all Defoe's Works, and has lost none of its original attraction. Dr. Johnson observed, `nobody ever laid it down without wishing it were longer'" (Lowndes, 613-14). Stothard was the first English artist to realize the visual potential of Robinson Crusoe." As opposed to previous illustrators of the text, “Stothard depicts Crusoe not as a sinful or isolated figure, but as a social man who leaves his family with regret and who rejoices in his companionship with Friday and, later, with the Spanish lieutenant. Rather than fear, he emphasizes contentment, harmony and the nobility of man… His designs set an idealistic and romantic standard that subsequent artists aspired to equal” (Picturing the First Castaway, Rutgers University).