Craik, Dinah Maria Mulock, The Little Lame Prince. Illustrated by Etheldred B. Barry, D.C. Heath & Co., 1910, p. 113. Internet Archive, archive.org/details/littlelameprince00crai/page/112/mode/2up.
Lily Philipose emphasizes in her analysis of Craik’s domestic ideology, the “feminized” responsibilities of nurturing and caretaking take on political resonance in the story, creating an allegory where emotional labor becomes a source of royal authority. Dolor’s work by the hearth is thus not mere busywork; it symbolizes the relational qualities—care, tenderness, and moral vision—that Craik envisions as the foundation of true kingship. Likewise, Alan Richardson, in discussing “feminized boy heroes” and “lame princes,” points out that these narratives subvert the customary development of masculine identity by incorporating “feminine” virtues (e.g., empathy, gentleness) into the public role of a leader. In this specific image, Prince Dolor’s posture and the hearth’s domestic setting invert conventional gender norms, reinforcing Craik’s broader argument that moral clarity and emotional attentiveness constitute genuine “strength.” By visually linking Dolor’s royal identity to a traditionally female-coded task, the illustration underscores the text’s redefinition of manhood as profoundly ethical rather than corporeally dominant.