Anna-Marie Ferguson

Portrait of artist and illustrator, Anna-Marie Ferguson.

Canadian artist Anna-Marie Ferguson (b. 1966 in UK) is the first woman to illustrate a complete edition of Malory’s Morte D’Arthur (2000). In her exquisite watercolors and black-and-white drawings, Ferguson includes a number of familiar scenes, such as Arthur’s receiving of Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake and Elaine lying in the barge, as well as scenes rarely illustrated, such as the crucial healing of Sir Urry. What is most significant, though, is the way in which her images combine to offer a reading of the text by making her audience aware of the significant roles that women play in Malory’s romance. Ferguson depicts victimized or mistreated women—Elaine of Corbenic being rescued by Lancelot, Brangwaine bound in the forest, Percivale’s sister dying after having been bled—as well as women of power, like Nimue beguiling Merlin, Morgan le Fay displaying her might, and the four queens (one of whom is Morgan) preening before a captured Launcelot. Ferguson’s illustrations were reprinted in a deluxe signed edition published by the Easton Press (2021), with a new introduction by Alan Lupack.

Displayed here are original illustrations by Anna-Marie Ferguson from Morte D’Arthur, including the pen-and-ink drawing of Launcelot and the Falcon and the two watercolors The Questing Beast and The Four Queens. Also displayed is Dame Ragnell, a drawing from the cover of a thank-you note written by Ferguson to Alan and Barbara Tepa Lupack, an especially treasured item in the collection.