You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
On 6 March 2018, Robert H. Scott wrote Susanna Jack, librarian of the Quebec English Branch:
I enclose herewith the “pig book” we discussed, which is a gift for your Institute. This was used by my father, Clifford Scott, from the late 30s until the late 80s. I looked through the book and placed index notes on a few of the pages where I recognized a name likely of interest to you and your colleagues.
When I asked him to elaborate he wrote,
My memories of this book and its creation are from London, where we lived when I was between ages 3 and 11. I remember it being an adjunct to parties my parents had and seeing the book being passed around from person to person, and watching as the “pigs” were drawn. I recall being fascinated by the different approaches people took. Some just closed their eyes or looked away and drew rapidly. Others clearly had an idea in mind and used several fingers on the page to try to make the result come out as they intended. Inevitably on seeing the results, there was laughter—and even more laughter as the author and others tried to find just the right title for this particular “pig.”
Research online turned up some background from the Tower Project Blog:
The Edwardians appear to have had a bit of a penchant for pigs if several of the books in the Tower collection are anything to go by. Amongst the many curiosities we come across in the Tower Project, the most recently observed is a trend for guest or visitor books in which instead of writing that you had enjoyed your stay / had a lovely time etc., you were encouraged by your hosts to draw a pig, whilst blindfolded. Instructions are given in a few neat verses at the beginning of “A guest book”: