The artwork titled “How now – said Scrooge, caustic and cold as ever” is an illustration by Arthur Rackham, belonging to the Art Nouveau (Modern) movement. This piece is part of a series illustrating “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens.
In the artwork, a spectral figure, representing one of the ghosts in Dickens’ tale, confronts an elderly man seated in an armchair, presumably Ebenezer Scrooge. The ghost, rendered in ethereal, translucent hues, gestures emphatically while Scrooge, clad in a richly patterned red robe, listens intently with a pointed expression. The scene is set within an intimate, dimly lit room, featuring warm, earthy tones that enhance the ghostly figure’s presence. The attention to intricate detail and the realistic depiction of the characters’ expressions and postures are characteristic of Rackham’s illustrative prowess.