{"id":9598,"date":"2015-09-23T11:44:30","date_gmt":"2015-09-23T15:44:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spec.lib.miamioh.edu\/home\/?p=9598"},"modified":"2015-09-23T11:46:17","modified_gmt":"2015-09-23T15:46:17","slug":"the-golden-age-of-book-illustration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spec.lib.miamioh.edu\/home\/the-golden-age-of-book-illustration\/","title":{"rendered":"The Golden Age of Book Illustration"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Edmund<\/a>

Edmund Dulac’s Sleeping Beauty, from The Sleeping Beauty and Other Tales, 1910<\/p><\/div>\n

The Walter Havighurst Special Collections has a great collection of Children’s Literature, and since I began working\u00a0here in June I have\u00a0found myself outright bewitched by some of the illustrations I’ve seen. \u00a0In fact, materials from the “Golden Age” of book illustration (from about 1860 to 1930) in particular have really captured my imagination, and so I could not think of a better inaugural blog post than a few paragraphs about this new-found passion.<\/p>\n

I had heard of artists like Edmund Dulac and Arthur Rackham before; Rackham, after all, famously illustrated the first edition of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens<\/em>, and Dulac’s sumptuous illustrations for\u00a0The Arabian Nights<\/em> featured in a children’s book I myself owned many years ago.<\/p>\n

\"Arthur<\/a>

Arthur Rackham’s Undine, from Undine, 1909<\/p><\/div>\n

But\u00a0even these artists who already existed on my periphery surprised me when I saw\u00a0their work in person. \u00a0In the early 20th century, it wasn’t unusual for an artist like Rackham to have his illustrations featured in large “deluxe” editions, particularly before the outbreak of World War I when materials were less expensive and there was a greater market for such luxuries. \u00a0For me, seeing\u00a0these illustrations so carefully inserted into the text, often protected by fine sheets of glassine, helped me realize what treasures these books really are.<\/p>\n

\"Illustration<\/a>

Illustration from William Timlin\u2019s The Ship that Sailed to Mars, 1923.<\/p><\/div>\n

Of course, a new appreciation for familiar artists is only part of the story. \u00a0I also began to encounter new artists from the era, people like Paul Woodruffe (a man primarily known for his stained glass work in places like St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York), William\u00a0Timlin, and Kay Nielsen, and their works are no less captivating.<\/p>\n

William\u00a0Timlin’s\u00a0The Ship that Sailed to Mars<\/em> is filled with large and brilliant illustrations, most of which feature images of the titular ship traveling through the cosmos. \u00a0Timlin’s story itself has perhaps not aged as well as it could have; the text carries a rather explicit colonialist message, which isn’t exactly surprising considering Timlin spent almost all of his life living in South Africa. \u00a0But the book itself is stunning regardless, printed in Timlin’s own calligraphy and featuring more than 40 full-color illustrations.<\/p>\n

\"Woodroffe's<\/a>

Woodroffe’s Ariel, from a 1908 edition of Shakespeare’s The Tempest.<\/p><\/div>\n

Likewise, Paul Woodroffe also produced some beautiful and memorable work during this period, though his illustrations\u00a0are sadly little remembered today. \u00a0Woodroffe’s work\u00a0for Shakespeare’s\u00a0 in 1908 is a particular favorite of mine. \u00a0It depicts an androgynous Ariel as a lovely and expressive fairy and generally emphasizes the whimsical and playful aspects of the character. \u00a0Woodroffe’s training in stained glass also shows through in his work on this book, with strong lines, delicate colors, and clear, expressive faces all see heavy emphasis.<\/p>\n

\"One<\/a>

One of Nielsen’s illustrations from a 1922 edition of East of the Sun and West of the Moon.<\/p><\/div>\n

Finally, I find Nielsen’s work in particular to be captivating, and I’m not alone on\u00a0that\u00a0note;\u00a0three years ago, our own Preservation Librarian Ashley Jones <\/span>made a post about his work<\/a>. \u00a0Nielsen’s art is sometimes moody and subdued, and other times frantic and bright. \u00a0Whatever the story calls for, Nielsen seems able to convey that feeling perfectly. \u00a0The difference in tone between his work in\u00a0<\/span>East of the Sun and<\/em> West\u00a0<\/em>of the Moon<\/em> (1914) and\u00a0<\/span>The Twelve Dancing Princesses and Other Fairy Tales<\/em> (1923) is undeniably drastic, but Nielsen’s unique style remains consistent.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"One<\/a>

One of Nielsen’s illustrations from Twelve Dancing Princesses and Other Fairy Tales, 1923.<\/p><\/div>\n

These artists were all new to me, and I’m sure that as I come to learn more about the collection–and as the collection grows–I will discover even more illustrators from this time period whose works capture my imagination. \u00a0I would also like to encourage everyone to stop by Special Collections and take some time to explore these works with me!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Another<\/a>

Goodbye!<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Walter Havighurst Special Collections has a great collection of Children’s Literature, and since I began working\u00a0here in June I have\u00a0found myself outright bewitched by some of the illustrations I’ve seen. \u00a0In fact, materials from the “Golden Age” of book…<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more ›<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spec.lib.miamioh.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spec.lib.miamioh.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spec.lib.miamioh.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spec.lib.miamioh.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spec.lib.miamioh.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9598"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/spec.lib.miamioh.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9637,"href":"https:\/\/spec.lib.miamioh.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9598\/revisions\/9637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spec.lib.miamioh.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spec.lib.miamioh.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spec.lib.miamioh.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}