Fairies

Welcome to that section of our Virtual Museum highlighting illustrations depicting fairies

and adventures in fairyland.

Here, you will have the opportunity to connect with masterful illustrations prepared to

accompany enduring tales of fairies and fairyland by some of the great artists of the

Golden Age of Illustration. We also offer you the option to purchase Art Prints, Posters

and Greeting Cards, with all our reproduction images produced with archival quality

processes to ensure many years of enjoyment.

Consider the meaning and history of the word "fairy" for a moment - the English word is a variant of a Middle English term derived from the Old French word

"faerie", that, itself, owes its origins to the Latin reference to the Fates, "fata".

The term is generally used to describe small imaginary beings of human form that have magical powers - especially female ones.

To the left, we show "The fairies have their tiffs with the birds" by

Arthur Rackham - an illustration from Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.

The very nature of "fairies" has been a significant factor in providing fertile ground for

artistic endeavours following the Renaissance and within the Collection, there are numerous

examples of inspirational artwork from the the Golden Age of Illustration that depict fairies

and the fairy realm. Those illustrations include images associated with tales such as Spenser's

The Faerie Queene, Shakespeare's The Tempest and A Midsummer-Night's Dream, Milton's

Comus, the works of Giambattista Basile, and many of the stories and poetry of fairies and

fairyland that were published from the 1860s through to the 1930s, including In Fairyland,

Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, The Password to Fairyland, Where the Rainbow Ends,

The Enchanted Forest, Peeps into Fairyland, and Down-Adown-Derry.

To the right, we show "Come, hang them on this line"

by Paul Woodroffe - an illustration for The Tempest.

Below, we show some examples of artwork appearing in our Virtual Museum prepared to

depict fairies and scenes from the fairy realm - to experience more of associated artwork or

that of the relevant artist, simply follow the hyperlinks embedded in the following images and

text. To purchase any item, click on the appropriate "Add to Cart" button and you will be

taken through to our Shopping Cart secured through PayPal - multiple purchases will be

consolidated by that feature and shipping and packaging costs to any destination in the world

are accommodated by our flat-rate US$20 fee for each US$200 worth of purchases.

We are able to reproduce these images in a variety of sizes and naturally, should you wish to order a Reproduction Print in another format, we welcome your contact through ThePeople@SpiritoftheAges.com.

To the left, we show one of our 18x24" Art Posters displaying "You are to be called Azulina" by

Florence Mary Anderson - an illustration for The Black Princess and Other Fairy Tales from Brazil.

An Elfin Dance

Richard Doyle

The Chase of the White Mouse

John Anster Fitzgerald

Full image (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Full image (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Reproduction on 20x30" sheet

Code: RD ED (20x30)
Price: US$200.00

Reproduction on 20x30" sheet

Code: JAF CWM (20x30)
Price: US$200.00

This gorgeous illustration by Doyle is prepared in a similar style to his illustrations for In Fairyland -

and it appears to depict many of the characters that are shown in "An Elfin Dance by Night" in that

book.

Richard Doyle (1824-1883) is among the artists associated with the Golden Age of Illustration.

While Doyle had no formal art training, his artistic skills were developed through his familial environment (his father, John Doyle, was a noted political caricaturist and two of his brothers

were also artists). At the age of 19, he joined the staff of Punch and was responsible for designing

its now-famous masthead.

In 1846, Doyle's illustrations for The Fairy Ring were published and he gained considerable

recognition - and further commissions - as a fairytale illustrator. His work on subsequent illustrated

books included: The Enchanted Doll; The Story of Jack and the Giants; and The King of the Golden

River.

The World, however, was to wait until the Christmas of 1869 for what is now regarded as his

masterwork, In Fairyland - A Series of Pictures from the Elf World, a book that has since been

described as one of the finest examples of Victorian book production.

For more information on Richard Doyle, or to view more of his art, we invite you to peruse our Richard Doyle Collection that includes some of his seminal work.

Fitzgerald's "The Chase of the White Mouse" is one of the many illustrations he prepared based

on his imaginings of adventures in the fairy realm.

John Anster Fitzgerald (1819-1906) was a self-taught artist of the Victorian period. He was

renowned for his artistic interest in fairy paintings and they remain among some of the most

rich and lively representations of fairyland to have been produced.

His artwork is rarely inspired by a clear literary them and is characterized by the use of vibrant

colors, including reds, blues and purples. The fantastic nature of the scenes depicted in his

artwork has inspired references to Bosch and Brueghel, in addition to suggestions that Fitzgerald

frequented opium dens.

For more information on John Anster Fitzgerald and to see more of his art, we invite you to

peruse our John Anster Fitzgerald Collection.

Act IV, Scene 1 - A Midsummer-Night's Dream

Arthur Rackham

The good Fairy placed her own baby in a cradle of roses and

gave command to the Zephyrs to carry him to the tower

Kay Nielsen

Full image (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Full image (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Reproduction on 18x24" sheet

Code: AR AMND (18x24)
Price: US$150.00

Reproduction on 12x18" sheet

Code: KN IPC C11 (12x18)
Price: US$60.00

This illustration from Rackham appears to be an advanced preparatory

illustration for consideration towards the published suite in the 1908 Edition

of A Midsummer-Night's Dream.

It bears similarities to the 36th colour illustration published in that Edition,

but places the central characters in a more expansive environment.

Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) is one of the great artists associated with the

Golden Age of Illustration.

His illustrations are characterized by a sinuous pen line softened with

muted watercolor - a feature that is typical of the Art Nouveau aesthete.

Rackham's forests are looming with frightening grasping roots, his fair

maidens are sensuous - yet somehow chaste - and his ogres and trolls ugly

enough to repulse, but with sufficient good nature not to frighten.

For more information on Arthur Rackham and to see more of his art, we

invite you to peruse our Arthur Rackham Collection.

This illustration is one of a suite Nielsen prepared for In Powder and Crinoline (1913).

Nielsen's colour illustrations were completed for this contribution throughout 1912 and

1913 and for the reproduced images, Nielsen insisted on a 4-color process - in contrast

to the 3-color process typically used by his contemporaries, including Arthur Rackham.

The illustrations draw on a number of artistic tradition, but are typical of Nielsen's

idiosyncratic style - The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales describing his contribution to

In Powder and Crinoline thus:

"Nielsen's objects and people are highly stylized: foxglove blossoms

hang in measured asymmetry; princes and princesses stand on

improbably long legs; and their garments billow in gravity-defying

parabolas".

Kay Nielsen (1886-1957) is considered by many to be among the leading artists associated

with the Golden Age of Illustration.

Nielsen's first published commission included a suite of monotone and full colour

illustrations for In Powder and Crinoline (1913). A year later, his illustrations from East of

the Sun and West of the Moon - considered by many to be among his masterpieces -

were published.

Following World War I, he produced other great works, including Fairy Tales by Hans

Andersen, Hansel and Gretel and Other Stories from the Brothers Grimm and Red Magic.

For more information on Kay Nielsen and to see more of his art, we invite you to

peruse our Kay Nielsen Collection.

The Fairy of the Garden now advanced to meet them;

her garments shone like the Sun, and her face beamed

like that of a happy mother rejoicing over her child

Edmund Dulac

La Belle Dame Sans Merci

Harry Clarke

Full image (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Full image (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Reproduction on 18x24" sheet

Code: ED FGAMT (18x24)
Price: US$150.00

Reproduction on 18x24" sheet

Code: HC BDSM (18x24)
Price: US$150.00

This illustration is one of four illustrations prepared by Dulac to accompany

the tale "The Garden of Paradise" for the 1911 Edition of Stories from Hans

Andersen.

Edmund Dulac (1882-1953) is one of the great artists associated with the

Golden Age of Illustration.

Dulac displayed an artistic interest from an early age, with his favorite

medium - watercolors - being established in his teenage years. Typically,

Dulac's early illustrations do not rely upon an ink line to hold the colour as

he approached the relatively new colour printing medium as a colored ink

drawing.

In 1913, the mellow, romantic blues that Dulac had tended towards a brighter

palette and more oriental style that characterized his work for the remainder

of his life.

For more information on Edmund Dulac and to see more of his art, we invite

you to peruse our Edmund Dulac Collection.

The subjects of this illustration by Clarke are the protagonists mentioned

within the ballad La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats - the mysterious

woman said to be a faery's child who has enchanted the tragic unnamed

knight.

Harry Clarke (1889-1931) was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts

movement and is best known for his stained glass designs and book

illustrations. In respect of his book illustrations, he is one of the artists

associated with the Golden Age of Illustration.

Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen was his first published work,

although he had previously been working on illustrations to accompany

Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner - work which had been

destroyed in Dublin's devastating 1916 Easter Uprising. A number of

commissions followed Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen ,

including The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault and his contributions to

Tales of Mystery and Imagination - a project that established his stellar

reputation as an illustrator.

His second to last project, Faust, is considered his most important as it is

a precursor to the evocative psychedelic imagery that has come to be

associated with artwork from the 1960s. Selected Poems of Algernon

Swinburne was his final commission and, due to the licentious nature of

Clarke's illustrations, that title was banned in Ireland.

For more information on Harry Clarke and to see more of his art, we

invite you to peruse our Harry Clarke Collection.

Wake, when some vile thing is near

Warwick Goble

The fatal F is in her name,

and I cannot take it out

Dugald Stewart Walker

Full image (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Full image (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Reproduction on 12x18" sheet

Code: WG BFP C10 (12x18)
Price: US$60.00

Reproduction on 20x30'' sheet

Code: DW MF M11 (20x30)
Price: US$200.00

This is one of a suite of illustrations prepared by Warwick Goble

for The Book of Fairy Poetry published in 1920 - it depicts a scene

from Shakespeare's A Midsummer-Night's Dream.

Warwick Goble (1862-1943) was among the English artists

associated with the Golden Age of Illustration. He took training in

London and focused on watercolors as a medium - being first

employed by a printer specializing in chromolithography.

Among his first published illustrations were those accompanying

The Oracle of Baal and War of the Worlds. Other commissions

followed in the early 1900s including The Water-babies: A fairy

tale for a Land-baby (1909), Green Willow and Other Japanese

Fairy Tales (1910), Stories from the Pentamerone (1911),

The Complete Poetical Works of Geoffrey Chaucer (1912), Folk

Tales of Bengal (1912), Indian Myth and Legend (1913), The Fairy

Book (1913) and The Book of Fairy Poetry (1920).

For more information on Warwick Goble and to see more of his

art, we invite you to peruse our Warwick Goble Collection.

This illustration is one of a suite prepared for Mopsa the Fairy - it is an example

of the superbly detailed monotone images that were designed by Walker.

Dugald S (Stewart) Walker (1883-1937) was an American artist associated with the

Golden Age of Illustration. He was a painter noted for his lyrical depiction of

scenes and human form influenced by Art Nouveau and Impressionism.

His first comprehensive suite of illustrations appeared in Stories for Pictures (1912)

and he was described in the Foreword by Mackay in justifiably glowing terms,

thus:

Dugald Stewart Walker, a new artist of remarkable talent,

suggesting Rackham and Dulac but entirely original in spirit

and execution.

Further commissions followed, in the form of his illustrations for Fairy Tales

from Hans Christian Andersen (1914), Dream Boats and Other Stories (1918),

The Wishing Fairy's Animal Friends (1921), Rainbow Gold (1922),

Snythergen (1923), The Six Who Were Left in a Shoe (1923), Many Wings (1923),

The Dust of Seven Days (1924), Squiffer (1924), The Golden Porch (1925),

Orpheus with his Lute (1926), Mopsa the Fairy (1927) and Go! Champions of

Light (1933).

Walker displayed an outstanding eye for colour and was also superbly gifted

throughout his detailed monotone illustrations.

For more information on Dugald Walker and to see more of his art, we invite

you to peruse our Dugald Stewart Walker Collection.

Fairies take morning dew from the

Flowers to make the Queen's clothes

Horace Knowles

Fairy-Beauty rocks a Babe

Ida Rentoul Outhwaite

Full image (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Full image (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Reproduction on 12x18" sheet

Code: HK PF C3 (12x18)
Price: US$60.00

Reproduction on 12x18" sheet

Code: IRO EF C6 (12x18)
Price: US$60.00

This is one of a suite of illustrations prepared by Horace Knowles for Peeps

into Fairyland published in 1924 - it depicts a scene from "The Fairy Queen".

Horace Knowles was a book designer and illustrator who worked with his

brother, Reginald Knowles, on a number of exquisite illustrated books in

the first two decades of the 20th Century and thus, the pair are associated

with the Golden Age of Illustration.

While both brothers usually share equal credit for their collaborative

projects, it is understood that most of the colour illustrations and detailed

monotone images were prepared by Reginald Knowles.

A decade after their earliest work, Horace Knowles produced a stunning

and comprehensive suite of colour and monotone illustrations for

Peeps into Fairyland (1924).

The Art Nouveau, Fantasy and Gothic Revival imagery captured in the

illustrations by the Knowles' brothers is magnificent.

For more information on Horace Knowles and to see more of his art, we

invite you to peruse our Reginald and Horace Knowles Collection.

This illustration is one of a suite prepared for The Enchanted Forest published in

1921.

Ida Rentoul Outhwaite (1888-1960) was among the first Australian illustrators to

achieve international fame - and her fame was deserved with wonderfully

whimsical images of fairies (often to be found playing with kookaburras, koalas

and kangaroos).

Rentoul Outhwaite's first illustration was published by The New Idea in 1904 when

she was just 15 years of age - it accompanied a story written by her older sister,

Annie Rentoul. In the years the followed, the sisters collaborated on a number of

stories. Following her marriage to Grenbry Outhwaite in 1909, too, she

collaborated with her husband - most notably for The Enchanted Forest (1921),

The Little Fairy Sister (1923) and Fairyland (1926). In a number of cases, her

children - Robert, Anne, Wendy and William - served as models for her

illustrations.

For more information on Ida Rentoul Outhwaite and to see more of her art, we

invite you to peruse our Ida Rentoul Outhwaite Collection.

The Queen o' the Sky,

Whose watery arch and messenger am I,

Bids thee leave these

Paul Woodroffe

The Hill-Fairies

Edward Burne-Jones

Full image (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Full images (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Reproduction on 12x18" sheet

Code: PW T C13 (12x18)
Price: US$60.00

A pair of reproductions on a single 18x24" sheet

Code: EBJ HF1|2 (18x24)
Price: US$150.00

This is one of a suite of illustrations prepared by Paul Woodroffe

for the 1908 Edition of The Tempest.

Paul Woodroffe (1875-1954) was an English artists associated with

the Golden Age of Illustration.

Woodroffe's illustrations are characterised by a stunning blend of

line, form and colour typical of the Pre-Raphaelites and an Art

Nouveau aesthete. Many of his characters are reminiscent of the

marbles of Roman and Greek antiquity, but imbibed with a quite

other-worldly quality. The colours he uses are rich and the images

powerful.

While Woodroffe's work for The Tempest may rank as among his

most accomplished, he had a prolific career as an illustrator for

children's books, including: Beauty and the Beast; Cinderella;

Goldilocks and the Three Bears; Jack and the Beanstalk; Little Red

Riding Hood; Puss in Boots; and Sleeping Beauty.

For more information on Paul Woodroffe and to see more of his

art, we invite you to peruse our Paul Woodroffe Collection.

Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones (1833-1898) was an artist associated with the Golden

Age of Illustration. He was a designer linked with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

While attending Exeter College in Oxford, he became a friend of William Morris -

with whom he later contributed to a number of magnificent works. He studied

under Rossetti before traveling to Italy and drawing further influences from a range

of artists, including Ruskin, with whom he also traveled.

Burne-Jones was largely responsible for bringing the Pre-Raphaelites into the

mainstream of the British art world and in doing so, he executed some of the most

exquisite and beautiful artworks of his time. It is not without reason that Aymer

Vallance referred to Burne-Jones as "the greatest painter the world has known since

the fifteenth century".

For more information on Edward Burne-Jones and to see more of his art, we invite

you to peruse our Edward Burne-Jones Collection.

The Elfin Route made Visible

by the Four-Leaved Clover

Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale

Oh, what did she see?

Duncan Carse

Full image (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Full image (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Reproduction on 12x18" sheet

Code: EFB ERVFLC (12x18)
Price: US$60.00

Reproduction on 12x18" sheet

Code: DC DF C1 (12x18)
Price: US$60.00

This magical illustration from Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale was published in

the 1924 Christmas Edition of The London Illustrated News.

It depicts the moment where the mystical meadow's treasure - the

four-leaved clover - is found to be the key to Fairyland.

Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale (1871-1945) is an English artists associated with

the Golden Age of Illustration.

Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale was born into a family of means and she

took her education in art at the Royal Academy school. It was while

attending the Royal Academy that she met Byam Shaw - a prominent

artist - whom was not only a close friend, but also an artistic influence.

For more information on Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale and to see more

of her art, we invite you to peruse our Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale

Collection.

This illustration is one of the suite prepared by Duncan Carse for the

1912 Edition of Dewdrops from Fairyland.

Duncan Carse (1876-1938) was an English artist and book illustrator

associated the Golden Age of Illustration. Thematically, his work is

linked with the British Fairy School.

He is believed to have contributed suites of illustrations to just two

books in his career - both published in 1912: Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales

(published by A & C Black [London]); and Dewdrops from Fairyland

(published by Frederick Warne & Co [London]).

For more information on Duncan Carse and to see more of his art, we

invite you to peruse our Duncan Carse Collection.

Love in a Mist

Daphne Allen

I can hold a Wave in the Hollow of my

Hand and dash it Mountains High

Florence Anderson

Full image (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Full image (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Reproduction on 12x18" sheet

Code: DA BO C9 (12x18)
Price: US$60.00

Reproduction on 12x18" sheet

Code: FA PF C3(12x18)
Price: US$60.00

This illustration is one of a suite published in the 1914 Edition of The Birth of the Opal.

Daphne Allen (1899-1985) is one of the artists associated with the Golden Age of

Illustration.

Born in London, Allen was undertook training from an early age from her parents -

her father, Hugh Allen, himself, was a recognised artist. This childhood tutelage

provided Allen with considerable opportunity to develop as an artist and her first

exhibition occurred at the tender age of 13 and she remains one of the youngest artists

to exhibit with the Society of Women Artists.

As a child, suites of Allen's illustrations were published in two illustrated books,

A Child's Visions and The Birth of the Opal. At the age of 17, a third book including her

illustrations was published, The Cradle of Our Lord and in her adult life, a further very

rare book including her illustrations was published, The Silver Birch Tree. Allen also

contributed illustrations of fairies and religious subjects to a number of magazines,

including The Illustrated London News, The Sketch and The Tatler.

For more information on Daphne Allen and to see more of her art, we invite you to

peruse our Daphne Allen Collection.

This illustration is one of the suite prepared by Florence Anderson for the

1920 Edition of The Password to Fairyland.

Florence Anderson was an English artist active as a book illustrator

throughout the first three decades of the 20th Century. Her art was

influenced by the British Fairy School.

Her first major commission appears to have been an extensive suite of

colour and monotone illustrations prepared for The Dream-Pedlar published

in 1914. Anderson received further substantial commissions throughout the

decade that followed, including major suites of colour and monotone

illustrations prepared for: The Travelling Companions (1915); Little Dwarf

Nose & The Magic Whistle (1916); The Black Princess and other Fairy Tales

from Brazil (1916); The Cradle Ship (1916); The Magic Kiss (1916);

My Fairyland (1916); Nutcracker and Mouse King (1916); Adventures in

Magic Land and Other Tales (1917); The Rainbow Twins (1919); Valentine

and Orson: The Twin Knights of France (1919); Secrets of the Flowers (1919);

The Password to Fairyland (1920); and The Singing Fish (1922).

For more information on Florence Anderson and to see more of her art, we

invite you to peruse our Florence Anderson Collection.

I heard the fairies in a ring

Dorothy Lathrop

Once upon a time

Montague Barstow

Full image (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Full image (on the left) and detail (to the right) for reference

Reproduction on 12x18" sheet

Code: DL DAD C1 (12x18)
Price: US$60.00

Reproduction on 18x24" sheet

Code: MB OUT (18x24)
Price: US$150.00

This illustration is one of a suite published in the 1922 Edition of

Down-Adown-Derry.

Dorothy Lathrop (1891-1980) was an American author and illustrator associated

with the Golden Age of Illustration.

Her first major suit of published illustrations appears to have been prepared

for an edition of Walter de la Mare's The Three Mulla-Mulgars (the edition

carrying Lathrop's illustrations was first published in 1919). Lathrop is said

to have developed a friendship with Walter de la Mare and she prepared

further suites of illustrations to accompany his work, including those for

Down-Adown-Derry (1922) and Crossings (1923).

Lathrop's first foray as an author was The Fairy Circus (1931) - a superb

children's book that also carried a lovely suite of her colour and monotone

illustrations. The Fairy Circus (1931) received a Newbery Honor (an annual

award conferred by the American Library Association for the most

distinguished children's books published).

In 1938, Animals of the Bible (1937) (including a wonderful suite of monotone

illustrations prepared by Lathrop), won the inaugural Caldecott Medal (an

annual award conferred by the American Library Association for the most

distinguished illustrated children's book).

For more information on Dorothy Lathrop and to see more of her art, we

invite you to peruse our Dorothy Lathrop Collection.

This illustration is a gorgeous glimpse into Fairyland offered by Montague

Barstow.

Montague Barstow is an English artist associated with the Golden Age of

Illustration.

He is, perhaps, most well known for being the husband of Baroness Orczy

(author of The Scarlet Pimpernel), but was an artist, author and translator in

his own right - he translated a number of the tales written by Baroness Orczy

that were later published.

For more information on Montague Barstow and other illustrators from the

Golden Age of Illustration, we invite you to peruse our Petit Collection.