April, 1894, Page: 37
Image Dimensions: 6 x 17.8 cms
Page Dimensions: 31.8 x 25.6 cms
Artist:
Title: The Witches
Date: 1894
Inscription: Drawing, pen and ink on paper, 6 x 17.8 cm, attached to page, captioned beneath, “J.M. Aitken / THE WITCHES.”
Keywords: witches; women; figures
Material: Pen and ink
Commentary: The dark silhouetted figures are witches surrounding a cauldron which is placed on a fire. Is the central naked figure another witch powerfully casting a spell or is she attempting to extinguish the flames with streams of water? If, however, the drawing is a comment on Aitken’s preceding essay the figure could represent the artist creating grotesque figures.