There Was a Crooked Man

Introduction – Elements of the Rhyme

There are seven different elements in this rhyme (man, mile, sixpence, stile, cat, mouse, and house). The man and the house are prominent and are the most commonly emphasized in illustrations, perhaps because they give an artist the greatest leeway in visualizing them. The “mile” is undoubtedly the most difficult to picture. A stile, defined as “a step or rung that enables people to climb over a fence or wall,” is often illustrated as a fence itself. This cross-stitch illustration includes all of the elements, although the mile is more curved than crooked.