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Infanta Esau
Pen and ink, 10.75 x 7.75 inches, 2003
Hairy children were — and still are — a great attraction. While the current fashion is to describe such individuals as “wolf boys” or “wolf girls” the
Victorian era preferred a biblical allusion to hirsute Esau, son of Abraham and twin brother of smooth-faced Jacob. Showmen such as P.T. Barnum took their cue from the passage describing the twins' birth:
And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.
(Genesis 25:25)
Those were more religious times, so hairy children, regardless of sex, were frequently advertised as “The Infant Esau.” One such child was the young Annie Jones
(who as a fully blossomed bearded woman is featured as the Pre-Raphaelite subject of another of my drawings, Ritratto di Annie Jones).
In this portrait, Annie poses as a wee Spanish princess after a painting by Velázquez.
[To purchase this drawing, please contact
Stanek Gallery
720 North 5th Street, Philadelphia PA 19123]
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All Images and Text © James G. Mundie 2003 - 2023
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