Author: Teresa S.

Andrea D’Aquino

This is likely one of the most beautiful contemporary illustrations of Alice’s adventures. Celebrating the 150th anniversary of Carroll’s book, Andrea D’Aquino has retold the story with hundred of colorful astonishing  illustrations. As commented elsewhere  “D’ Aquino illustrative ramblings run the gamut from watercolor to collage to everything in between, and it’s perhaps because of this cataclysmic range that she was chosen to illustrate this fantastic tale”. 

Awarded by American Illustration 2016, D´Aquino said “It’s my favorite book, but by no means had I ever considered illustrating it” – however – “when I was asked to illustrate it, I didn’t hesitate for a second. I know a great opportunity when it hits me over the head!”

The result could’t have been better…

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“The Caterpillar, perhaps the most psychedelic, explodes in reds and purples.”

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Published as part of Rockport Publishers’ Classics Reimagined series (2015).

Alfred Edward Jackson

AE Jackson was born in 1873. He was an exceptional and awarded student at the Camden School of Art, at the age of 18 his work was already in exhibition at the Royal Academy.

He started is long career as an illustrator of well known magazines and comics, and only a few years later has he produced his unforgettable and bestseller versions of  Gulliver’s Travels (1914),  Alice’s Adventures  (1915), Tales From Shakespeare (1919), The Water Babies (1920), Tales from the Arabian Nights (1920) and Robinson Crusoe (1921).

His dazzling purples, pinks and muted blues gave live to an extraordinary Alice.

(first published by Hoddern and Stoughton and by Milford in 1915)

Charles Folkard

Charles Folkard was a gifted and highly productive illustrator of children’s books. His illustrations of  Pinocchio, the Children’s Shakespeare and Grimm’s Fairy Tales and the Arabian Nights are among some of his most notorious works. Folkard is also recognised for the Daily Mail cartoon strips The Adventures of Teddy Tail, which were later published as a series of books.

His Alice’s illustrations were first published  as Songs from Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass (A. & C. Black, 1921). Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland  using these same illustrations was only published in 1929 (also by A. & C. Black). Beautiful, as you can see…

Mervyn Peake

Mervyn Peake  was born in China (1911) from a missionary family. He moved to England in 1923 and entered the Royal Academy in 29. Through his career, crossed by World War II, he published  several novels and collections of poems valued also by  his own beautiful illustrations. In 1951 he won the Heinemann Prize for Literature for Gormenghast and The Glassblowers and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

When invited to illustrate other authors, Mervin Peake felt that by accepting the task he would have to  “subordinate totally to the book, and slide into another man’s soul”.

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His illustrated version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland uses a fine cross-hatching style and was first published by The Continental Book Company/Zephyr Press (Stockholm, 1946) an edition “not to be introduced into the British Empire or the USA“.

The UK version was published by Allan Wingate in 1954.

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Maria Louise Kirk

M.L. Kirk, as she usually signed her work, attended the Philadelphia School of Design for Women and  the Academy of Fine Arts also in Philadelphia. Award for her excellent work, she is known for her illustrations for children’s books.

Alice in Wonderland illustrated by Maria L. Kirk was first published by Stokes USA in 1904, thus previous to the 1907 boom.

Leonard Weisgard

Leonard Weisgard was a ward-winning illustrator of over 200 children’s books. “As a schoolboy, he was dissatisfied with the books supplied by the public schools he attended. He found the illustrations monotonous and thought that the world could not be all that dreary and limited to only one colour.” So he changed it! His books use a wide range of beautiful colours, creating a magic world…

His Alice version, often classified as “astonishingly”, is considered one of the 10 best ever produced. Is certainly one of my favourites!

Published by Harper and Brothers in 1949.

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Millicent Sowerby

Amy Millicent Sowerby was one of the first illustrators of Carroll’ book. Sowerby’s artwork was among the 1907/08 many new versions of Alice. Interestingly, at the time it was not very well received, and in a collective review of the 1907 editions it was said that “Sowerby attempts work rather too difficult for her, and she has not much imagination”. In 2012, Barry Moser in his Alice Illustrated: 120 Images from the Classic Tales of Lewis Carroll devoted a full chapter to Millicent Sowerby illustrations.

This book was first published by Chatto & Windus in 1907, and later (in 1913) by Hodder & Stoughton (displaying a new set of illustrations).

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Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama is a celebrated Japan’s contemporary artist. She has a rare condition that makes her see colourful spots everywhere. Her vision of reality is thus literally surreal and, in a sense, close to hallucinogenic. Her artwork fits Carroll’s story  in a particular fascinating way.

A very limited edition of this  book was enclosed in a Louis Vuitton’s gigantic packaged with two Yayoi Kusama signed prints. “The gigantic box was meant to make the reader feel as though they had drunk from the bottle labelled ‘Drink me’ and had shrunk to a size similar to that of a White Rabbit.”

First published by Penguin in 2012.

 

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Tove Jasson

Tove Jasson is one of the most successful children’s writers ever. Famous for her Moomin´s books, she expressed her anxiety and grief through her art.

“Surely this is one more Alice that the world really needs”. (here or here) –  I agree!

This book was first published is Swedish in 1966. The first English edition was published in 1977 by Delacorte Press (NY). There is also a more recent edition by Tate Publishing (2011).

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