A topic of considerable import: cover illustration!

Victorian Reformations: New Subtitle Requested by the Publisher (I'm thinking Historical Fiction and Religious Controversy, 1820-1900) needs, among other things, a cover illustration.  Because I have to bear the cost of any permissions, I'm a little wary of museum holdings--this, for example, is pretty tempting (and I mention the painting in my book), but the museum's reproduction costs for a color cover are not cheap.  Ergo, I'm thinking book/magazine illustrations, which will still require photography costs but, at least, won't break the bank. 

So, I've started in the logical place, which happens to be my library.

Here's the frontispiece to Emily Sarah Holt's Mistress Margery:

Most of my novels skimp on images of people being burned at the stake.  Can't think why.  The illustration is on point, albeit somewhat grim, and I do spend a fair amount of time talking about gendered images of martyrdom.

"The Wise Expositor" from G. E. Sargent's Richard Hunne:

People reading the Bible, one of my book's big themes! Except...you can't really tell that that's a Bible on the table.  Hmmm.  Also, the "man explicates, woman listens" imagery oversimplifies how scenes of Bible reading work in these novels.

A queen reads from the Bible in W. Oak Rhind's Hubert Ellerdale:

Here, it's clearer what's going on; in addition, the illustration speaks to a couple of points I make about the role of women's reading communities in these novels and, in general, representations of women reading the Bible aloud.

Finally, the frontispiece to W. H. G. Kingston's The Martyr of Brentwood:

Color! More to the point, this frontispiece illustrates what my book is about--Victorians being obsessed by the Reformation.  Here we have some Victorians reverently contemplating a memorial to a Reformation martyr.  Problem is, I don't think the inscription is clear enough to make the frontispiece's subject self-evident. 

Comments

[Flavia]

I vote for the first one: it's the most simple and striking, referencing Foxe with a nice Victorian twist.

In books from my own period, the Foxe (& other similar burning-martyr) images are a little overplayed--but since this ISN'T Foxe, and ISN'T a work of Early Modern scholarship, I think that connection is a positive one; it really underscores your title and conveys the book's subject pretty immediately.

My second choice would be the queen reading the Bible; it's the most visually interesting of the other three, though it doesn't illuminate your title as immediately.

[Mr Punch]

I agree with Flavia. The color one might work with a different title and subtitle (e.g., Conversion and Controversy: The Reformation in Victorian Historical Fiction) (not an actual suggestion) but not this title.

[Miriam]

So far, two votes for burning at the stake...

[tatiana.larina]

I vote for the burning at stake too. The Lady is for Burning!

[Sarah]

The burning at the stake picture is the most visually striking, while also obviously on topic. I vote for it too.

[nbm]

I'm glad the Brown is out of range. They are all awful pictures, but the Brown's ambition and pretention makes it awful to a new degree. As for the immolation, it's not that I object, but you'd best be very sure that's what you want on your cover.

[Miriam]

Unfortunately, this subject is not one that tended to inspire brilliant art...

[Nemo]

Here' another vote for the burning at the stake.

[D. Des Chene]

A cover pic should be immediately readable from three or four feet away. #1 and #4 work best, but both are misleading as to the topic of the book. But the obelisk will put people in mind of Egypt, not the Reformation. That leaves #1. If Joan of Arc features anywhere in the book, you’re home free.