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Norah McGuinness, Three figures on a cliff edge
This illustration almost certainly dates from the first half of the nineteen-twenties when Norah McGuinness was in her early twenties. She had left her native Derry in 1921 to take up a three year scholarship at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art and among her instructors were Patrick Touhy, Oswald Reeves and Harry Clarke, and this illustration is clearly influenced by the latter. She enjoyed success as a student, winning an RDS medal in 1923 and a medal for drawing at the Tailteann competition in 1924. During this period McGuinness also undertook freelance illustration work and an illustration for the Dublin Magazine of October 1923 – titled the Dandy Dolls, and inspired by George Fitzmaurice’s play of that title – shows the influence of Harry Clarke, though also that of Aubrey Beardsley.
It is possible that the title of the illustration, Three figures on a cliff edge, which is inscribed on the reverse of the frame, is a straightforward description by a later hand of what the artist has depicted rather than the title McGuinness herself may have given it if it was, like the Dandy Dolls, created in response to a work of literature. The trio of dishevelled friends, their leader holding aloft a flaming torch, appear to be in celebratory mood, with the figure on the left looking somewhat unsteady, perhaps the result of inebriation. As with the single figure in the Dandy Dolls, these three have long fingers which are spikey, whereas when Clarke drew hands, either for his book illustration commissions or for his stained glass windows, they were generally refined and elegant; otherwise one can see how McGuinness sought to closely emulate her teacher’s distinctive style. Harry Clarke had a keen interest in the theatre and McGuinness shared this enthusiasm, designing costumes, sets and masks for the Abbey Theatre. In this illustration one has the impression that the three figures could be characters in a play, perhaps even hamming it up a bit.
It seems clear that Harry Clarke recognized and admired McGuinness’s artistic ability. In 1925 she received a commission that came through him to illustrate Laurence Sterne's A sentimental journey through France and Italy, though ironically Clarke’s influence is less apparent on this occasion. It also appears that McGuinness worked briefly for him in his stained glass studio as there are four designs in the Clarke Studios archive (TCD) attributed to her, one of which is signed.
Our thanks to Dr David Caron for writing this note.
August 2026
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