Snow White and Rose Red
Illustration by Richard Doyle
This wonderful illustration by Doyle is based upon the traditional German fairytale, "Schneeweißen und Rosenrot"
(the English translation being "Snow White and Rose Red"). The tale is perhaps best known from the version told by
the Brothers Grimm, but an earlier variant known as "The Ungrateful Dwarf" has been associated with Caroline Stahl.
Within the classic tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, Snow White and Rose Red encounter an ungrateful dwarf on a
number of occasions during their adventures one summer. This illustration depicts the first of those encounters wherein
Snow White and Rose Red come across the dwarf with his beard caught in a tree - the circumstances are described in the
following manner in Margaret Hunt's translation published in Household Tales (1884):
A short time afterwards the mother sent her children into the forest to get fire-wood.
There they found a big tree which lay felled on the ground, and close by the trunk
something was jumping backwards and forwards in the grass, but they could not make
out what it was. When they came nearer they saw a dwarf with an old withered face
and a snow-white beard a yard long. The end of the beard was caught in a crevice of
the tree, and the little fellow was jumping backwards and forwards like a dog tied to a
rope, and did not know what to do.
He glared at the girls with his fiery red eyes and cried, "Why do you stand there? Can
you not come here and help me?" "What are you about there, little man?" asked Rose-red.
"You stupid, prying goose!" answered the dwarf; "I was going to split the tree to get a little
wood for cooking. The little bit of food that one of us wants gets burnt up directly with
thick logs; we do not swallow so much as you coarse, greedy folk. I had just driven the
wedge safely in, and everything was going as I wished; but the wretched wood was too
smooth and suddenly sprang asunder, and the tree closed so quickly that I could not pull
out my beautiful white beard; so now it is tight in and I cannot get away, and the silly,
sleek, milk-faced things laugh! Ugh! how odious you are!"
The children tried very hard, but they could not pull the beard out, it was caught too fast.
"I will run and fetch some one," said Rose-red. "You senseless goose!" snarled the dwarf;
why should you fetch some one? You are already two too many for me; can you not
think of something better?" "Don't be impatient," said Snow-white, "I will help you," and
she pulled her scissors out of her pocket, and cut off the end of the beard.
As soon as the dwarf felt himself free he laid hold of a bag which lay amongst the roots
of the tree, and which was full of gold, and lifted it up, grumbling to himself, "Uncouth
people, to cut off a piece of my fine beard. Bad luck to you!" and then he swung the bag
upon his back, and went off without even once looking at the children.
The illustration
.jpg) Full Image |
Single Greeting Card (with matching Envelope)
Code: RD SWRR SGC |
%20(300).jpg) Detail (for reference) |
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Reproduction on 12x18" sheet
Code: RD SWRR 12x18 |
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Reproduction on 20x30" sheet
Code: RD SWRR 20x30 |
Our Greeting Cards
When presented on Greeting Cards, this image is prepared as a tipped-on plate - in hommage to the hand-crafted
approach typical of prestige illustrated publications produced in the early decades of the 20th Century. Each card is
hand-finished, with the image presented on Ivory card stock with an accompanying envelope. On the rear of each
card we also present some information about Richard Doyle and this wonderful illustration. We have left the interior
of the cards blank so that you may write your own personal message.
Our large format reproductions
Each of our large format reproductions are prepared with archival quality materials and processes to ensure many years
of enjoyment. In addition, our reproductions are accompanied by explanatory material relating to Richard Doyle and this
wonderful illustration.
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