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Doughty, A.G., "Bebe, the child of Brabant: founded in part on Ouida's story", The Christmas Metropolitan, Montreal: Metropolitan Publishing Company, (Dec.) 1894, pp. 21-22.
The Metropolitan was a Montreal weekly (in newspaper format) published from 1891 to [1899]. The Metropolitan announced that its Christmas number was to appear early in December, 1894. It was advertised as containing a number of poems, reminiscences, stories, and a characteristic study on an historic subject. The advertisement mentioned the poem by Mr. Arthur Doughty, “The Child of Brabant” (The Montreal Gazette, 10 December 1894, p.5).
Doughty, Arthur G., The Child of Brabant, founded in part on Ouida’s Novel Bébée, Montreal: 1894. This was created in 1894 as an illuminated manuscript of the poem of the same title that appeared in The Christmas Metropolitan. The copy held by Brown University was signed “Arthur G. Doughty, Montreal Dec. 1894”. It is not known whether AGD made other copies for private sale. The manuscript was illustrated with embellished lettering and designs similar to the style of illustrations appearing in other works by AGD, such as, The Song Story of Francesco and Beatrice (1892).
A comparison of the poem as published in The Christmas Metropolitan with AGD's illuminated manuscript reveals that these are not exact copies of one another. The texts are essentially the same in style with some differences in wording, punctuation and capitalization. The manuscript consists of 34 pages of text with one page repeating itself. Whereas, the published poem was the same length with the exception of the equivalent of another page of text that was not in the illuminated manuscript copy.
Digital copy of The Christmas Metropolitan version of the poem, "Bebe, the child of Brabant: founded in part on Ouida's story" available through Canadiana (CIHM 03938) was reviewed; select images are pictured above.
Digital copy of the illuminated manuscript held by Brown University (OCLC #56751462), courtesy of the staff of its Special Collections, was reviewed; select images are pictured above.
