The Blind Scholar and his Daughter
Title
The Blind Scholar and his Daughter
Alt Text Description
Grayscale illustration of a young woman standing at a lectern reading aloud to an old man. The old man sits in a chair next to her, holding a book.
Description
In this scene, Romola stands at a reading desk and reads aloud from a scholarly text while her blind father sits beside her, unable to access the book on his own. His dependence on her reading reinforces their intimate bond and establishes Romola’s role as both caretaker and intellectual companion within the household.
"Her eyes were bent on a large volume placed before her: one long white hand rested on the reading-desk, and the other clasped the back of her father's chair. The blind father sat with head uplifted and turned a little aside towards his daughter, as if he were looking at her" ("The Blind Scholar and his Daughter," Chapter 5).
"Her eyes were bent on a large volume placed before her: one long white hand rested on the reading-desk, and the other clasped the back of her father's chair. The blind father sat with head uplifted and turned a little aside towards his daughter, as if he were looking at her" ("The Blind Scholar and his Daughter," Chapter 5).
Illustrator
Leighton, Frederic (1830-1896)
Contributor
Swain, Joseph (1820-1909), engraver
Publisher
George Eliot Archive , edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org
Date
1863, 1880
Rights
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Work Illustrated
Romola
Citation
Leighton, Frederic (1830-1896), The Blind Scholar and his Daughter, George Eliot Illustrations Gallery, George Eliot Archive , edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://www.georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/83655
Illustration
