Polly of Bridgewater Farm

Publishing project including the design of the book’s layout, selection of materials, preparation of illustrations, editorial makeup, author’s supervision of the printing process, and also subsequently accompanying promotional activities.

The work on publishing this book was extremely fast and intense. At the same time, my wife and I worked on the general publishing concept, we designed the layout of the pages, the cover, selected the illustrations, and prepared them for printing. At the author’s request, we conducted research on references to illustrations that were essential and necessary for the content of the book.

The cover motive is the watercolor illustration depicting the departure and farewell forever to the native country and taking a life-changing journey.

The book is an imaginative reconstruction of factual events, highly supported and illustrated with actual artifacts, documents, and photographs presenting the described story and personas.

fragment of inside cover Map illustration

Sketches for vignettes and illustrations

The book brings vivid descriptions of so many peculiar facts going into oblivion, just because of ever-changing life, and also for not being presented in mainstream history presentations.

Illustrations were created upon referencing the portrayal in the book and to parallel imagery, literature, and documents.

The author shared with us many tales about assembling materials and reports for the book. She told us many additional anecdotes about places she would visit, about people helping her with their knowledge to collect the essence of the story.

Illustrations devoted to the tragic situation during the famine

Many facts can be discovered in documents, pamphlets, newspapers from Ireland plunged in tragic circumstances of the famine disaster. Not easy is to find the images depicting this time.

A stunning description of a journey on a stagecoach, in an unbelievable way, because no one now, (at least not me) would have imagined that at that time a large group of passengers traveled on the roof of the stagecoach, often in pouring rain.

The motives above are compiled original XIX century illustrations used as vignettes for the front pages of the chapters.

Below is the drawing made to show a famous tavern, known only from descriptions.

Old Wigwam Inn