As I was Going to St. Ives

Wifestyle - Who Wants to Go There?

This illustration portrays the traveler as frightened by the spectacle of so many wives and cats. It is dark and has the feel of sorcery about it, probably because the wives are all wearing pointed, black hats and many of the cats are black. The chaotic composition of the drawing, as well as the large noses and exaggerated features on the wives and husband reinforce this notion of black magic. This illustration is the only one with a sense of foreboding about it. Generally, pictures of this verse are cheerful, depicting sunny days and carefree travelers on a pleasant outing. Even in the Provensen's picture, the wives are smiling, despite the incredibly heavy loads they are carrying.

In the Katz picture, the man and his wives are shown dressed in late nineteenth century garb, with corresponding hair styles. The wives are dressed in bright, solid colors; and, even though this is a recent picture, it appears to be painted in a style of illustration popular at that time. Placid smiles tell us that these people either love cats, or are selling them at a tidy profit.

The Barnes-Murphy illustration of chubby, delighted bear wives shows them attired in clothing that comes from different time periods. One bear is dressed in a medieval costume, complete with crowned hat, where another is dressed in eighteenth century opulence and a third is wearing a hat with fruit that suggests nineteenth century fashion.

An illustration by Raymond Briggs has the husband pictured as an Arab, with a turban and beard. The wives are all dressed in long black dresses with headscarves, resembling burkas. They are carrying their seven sacks balanced on their heads. (That is quite a feat if there are seven cats and forty nine kittens in each of those sacks!) This is an interesting interpretation. It seems to assume that someone walking around with seven wives might be Arabian, a culture commonly identified with the idea of a harem.