The Best Illustrations from 150 Years of Alice in Wonderland | Brain Pickings.
Anyone who knows me, knows I love Alice. I have two different Alice themed tattoos and back in Vegas in storage there are three or so boxes full of different editions of the book along with various paraphernalia and collectibles so this article definitely strikes my fancy.
That said, while I agree these are some great illustrations, I think there are some classics being left out.
First is Arthur Rackham. Rackham’s 1907 illustrations are beautiful and dark, giving the story a bit of ominousness which I find wholly appropriate. Just look at his piece of Alice being attacked by the cards from the end of the book:
This is scary stuff here! Honestly, I love his darker palette and earth tones and strive to write something which could be illustrated in this style. The influence of Rackham himself can be seen in the work of artists like Brian Froud and Guillermo del Toro.
Then there’s Mervyn Peake. As an author, Peake is best known for the Gormenghast books but his illustrative work, mostly pen and ink line drawings, are amazingly surreal. Here, Alice is climbing through the looking glass with a certain amount of Victorian quality. I find it dreamlike and yet very real.
Finally, there’s David Delamere. While I find his style reminiscent of another of my favorite artists, Michael Parkes, Delamere is really in a class of his own. What gathers him inclusion on this list, though, is not just his Alice inspired work such as The Jabberwocky and The Tea Party. Nope, what gets him here on the list is his version of Alice which will be published later this year. As a bicker of the kickstarter campaign, I’ve seen the proposed artwork and it’s going to be amazing and should rank among the best versions of the book ever published.
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