For reasons we are not entirely certain about, in every edition there is one illustration showing a carriage in the background of a picture in which Pamela is in the foreground. Our sneaking suspicion is that the carriage was simply a status symbol, and that the lavishness of the vehicle was meant to speak about the taste and the riches of Mr. B., who was meant to eventually be seen as a desirable bachelor.

Pamela's dresses change perceptibly over the years, especially in the more luxurious editions, like the one from 1742, in which her clothing is fully detailed.

First Edition

1741 Edition

1742 Edition

1779 Edition

Pamela's great passion was writing, and Mr. B's obsession was figuring out what Pamela had to write about for so long. There is a variety of scenes in the book in which Mr. B sneaks up on Pamela, and she can never be sure whether he is spying on her writing, or making another one of his unwelcome passes.

Mr. B.'s spying activity moves over the years from the outdoors into the domestic space. As he moves towards the more familiar space, he also seems to be less sinister, represented with less shadow. In this same trend, the number of people surrounding the pair changes -- from spying on her alone, Mr. B.'s curiosity is represented as an activity that happens amidst a wider social group.

1741 Edition

1742 Edition

There are several occasions in Pamela where the heroine almost gets raped because Mr. B. practically has unlimited access to her living quarters. The most blatant occurrence is when Mr. B. hides in the very room that Pamela occupies, covered with a sheet.

In the 1785 edition, the focus of the illustration is on Pamela, and not so much on Mr. B. The way Pamela is pictured should be understood as an indication of her sensuality -- her feet are bare, and she is seen from the back, in her bed clothing.

1741 Edition

1785 Edition

Pamela happened to be quite astute at arranging many ways to exchange letters with her parents and the man who had attempted to get her out of captivity. Her schemes were usually disclosed. In this scene, Pamela and Mrs. Jewkes meet a Gypsy at the gate while Pamela is trying to 'deliver' her letter to the messenger.

Notice the stronger contrast in color between the Gypsy and Pamela in the later edition. Pamela's whiteness is emphasized in the text of the book and in the illustrations as a distinction that speaks of her "inner" purity and beauty, as much as reveals the general cultural preference for the white skin color.

1742 Edition

1785 Edition

Pamela's clothing was found by the pond at the estate where she was being held hostage, and she was suspected of having committed suicide or drowned. Fortunately, neither was the case -- she had only left her clothes by the water, and sat where noone could see her.

Notice the background of these pictures, as an indication of a radical change in English landscaping taste and the idea of "nature," which is less formal and more lavish and wild towards the end of the century. The focus also changes from the group surrounding Pamela to her, being solitary in the natural environment.

First Edition

After being kept away from her parents for a long time, and after finding out that she would become Mr. B's wife, Mr. B. arranges for Pamela's father to make an unannounced visit to his daughter in her new home. Pamela uses this unexpected opportunity to express gratitude to her father for her exemplary upbringing and virtue.

All of the illustrations of this encounter picture the overturned card table, that Pamela tips over as she rushes towards her father. Interestingly, after Highmore's depiction of the scene, the composition of his painting -- in which the father is seated, and Pamela is at his knees -- becomes the standard for all consequent editions.

Pamela's wedding with Mr. B is the payoff of the whole plot, so it is understandable that this scene would appear in the illustrated editions which can afford to show elegance of style.

Notice the change in architecture depicted in the images, which becomes simpler in design, and 'heavier' as it has fewer windows.

1741 Edition