Jack and Jill Went Up A Hill

Evil Lurks - Surreal Scene as a Goat in a Dress and Others Look On Gleefully as Jack Gets Plastered

This illustration accompanies one of the longer versions of the rhyme, in which Jill grins at Jack's paper plaster. It is a unique illustration, in that many of the figures are almost evil-looking, with slanted eyes and teeth showing. The clothing is odd as well, and clearly indicates that the characters lived long ago. The setting of the illustration is ambiguous; it seems to be both inside and outside. There is a window with brown paper and a bottle (of vinegar, one supposes), and there are many animals looking on as Dame Dob puts the paper on Jack's head. Jill and a menagerie of animals seem to take an almost sadistic pleasure in watching Jack's pain; Jill and some of the pigs seem to be clapping their hands. There is also a rooster, a cat, a rabbit, a duck, and a bird looking on. The strangest animal is the goat wearing a dress, standing on its hind legs like a person. This gives the illustration an somewhat surreal quality, and a rather sinister feeling to the traditional rhyme.