December 2022: UK

The project artists working on graphic adaptations of Stevenson’s Island Nights’ Entertainment, Simon Grennan and Solomon Enos, visited London, Oxford, Edinburgh and North Berwick to learn more about the author and the period he represents in British imperial history. Immersing themselves in late-19th century European material culture, Simon and Solomon studied collections at the British Museum in London and the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford for artefacts that would help them with their adaptations, from coins to clothing. The archival research continued in Edinburgh, where the project team perused the digital collection of the Stevenson photo albums, extensive examples of early photography taken during their Polynesian travels, held by the Museum Collection Centre.

As important as these archival visits were for the project team, equally formative were the explorations of Scottish cuisine and culture, with the icy weather and dark Edinburgh days unchanged from Stevenson’s own time in the Scottish capital.

