An unusual and charming collage in the tradition of the “dressed print,” depicting the famous Robinson Crusoe from the English adventure novel by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1719.

Our hero is returning from foraging and the hunt with his bounty, saw, axe, rifle, canteens, and cross-stitched (and thus probably not entirely effective) umbrella. His hut and nicely painted trees with multi-colored foliage give dimension to the background. Robinson’s pose here is probably based on the frontispiece of the 1720 French edition and other similar illustrations found in editions for children.

This unique and highly ephemeral item allows us to demonstrate to students the popularity of Defoe’s novel and its ready translation into an adventure story for younger readers. The medium is the message here as the maker took to foraging up various and sundry scraps in a creative and improvised collage, not unlike Crusoe himself scraping by on the island.

Dressed print collage