The Golden Age Illustrators - Arthur Rackham and more (An Antique Books Guide)

The Golden Age Illustrators

Illustration has always enhanced book, especially for younger or wider audiences but between the 1880's and the 1920's a supreme level of illustration was put into all manner of children's stories from Alice in Wonderland to Peter Pan.

This era became known as the Golden Age due to the immense quality and sheer scale of children's book illustration and now represents one of the most collected era of antique books.

Below is a guide of the top ten most renowned illustrators from this era with examples of their work

1. Arthur Rackham

1867-1939

Main years of work: 1900-1920

Arthur Rackham is possibly the most famous book illustrator around.

His work is often designed with muted colours and appears to transcend the simple and often childish narratives of the stories he illustrated, harking back to Nordic designs and Asian inspirations.

Most famously he illustrated J.M Barrie's 'Peter Pan' and Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland'.

Any book pre 1940 with his illustration is valuable, with signed copies selling for thousands.

2. Kay Nielsen

1886-1957

Main years of work: 1910-1930

Kay Nielsen is lesser known than Arthur Rackham, solely because he illustrated less popular books.

His most famous work was his illustration for Hans Andersen's fairy tales which appears to include art-deco design with an ethereal quality that puts his work on the same level as Rackham in terms of maturity.

Similar to Rackham, Nielsen's work s are very sought after.

3. Edmund Dulac

1882-1953

Main years of work: 1900-1930

Edmund Dulac is one of the top Golden Age artists and died whilst illustrating a book.

Best known for his illustrations in various Fairy Tales books and 'The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam' , his illustrations are often dream-like and show some influence from Arthur Rackham.
He championed the 'tipped in' method of illustration by which illustrations could be inserted into pages rather than being bound, making his work some of the most printable of the early 1900's.

4. Walter Crane

1845-1915

Main years of work:  1865-1900

Walter Crane's work is some of the most iconic of all the Golden Age illustrators due to its bold Arts and Crafts designs.
Preferring fantasy scenes rather than reality, Crane is best known for his nursery books which display a unique Asian/ Italian/ Greek blend of styles.
He also pioneered political art and social art (the re-introduction of art to everyday objects such as carpet) and is a revered name among book collectors.

5. Harry Rountree

1878-1950

Main years of work: 1900-1930

Harry Rountree is best known for his work in 'Alice in Wonderland' although he illustrated many books including those by Enid Blyton and he created honest and colourful illustrations that were more in keeping with the book than Rackham's or similar offerings by other illustrators.
His style was more traditional and akin to watercolour rather than the Asian woodblock design pioneered by his fellow Golden Age illustrators.

6. John Tenniel (Sir)

1820-1914

Main years of work: 1860-1880

Tenniel is another illustrator best known for his work in 'Alice in Wonderland' although he also worked on the well-known 'Punch' magazine series.
His illustrations were originally black and white and in the style of sketch-work.

7. Harry G. Theaker

1873-1954

Main years of work: 1920-1930

Theaker was a lesser-known illustrator but contributed to several children's books including 'The Water Babies'. His work cleverly played with space, making good use of basic shapes such as circles and squares and breaking their boundaries to create innovative illustration.

8. Margaret Tarrant

1888-1959

Main years of work: 1910-1930

Margaret Tarrant helped to single-handedly popularise fairies through her children's book illustration but is best known, as with many others of the Golden Age, for illustrating 'Alice in Wonderland'.
Her illustrations capture the energy and charm of the story with bold water-colour styled designs.

9. Charles Robinson

1870-1937

Main years of work: 1890-1910

This active painter was a popular choice for children's illustration, having illustrated 'The Secret Garden', 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Grimm's Fairy Tales' among other titles.
His work is similar to Rackham's but often less sober with a little more colour and more of the expected level of energy and style that one might expect from a children's book illustrator.

 10. Kate Greenway

1846-1901

Main years of work: 1880-1900

This list couldn't be written without including Kate Greenway.

Greenway was around before many of the top illustrators and so pioneered children's book illustration through her charming, pastel coloured drawings.

Most notable for her Birthday Book, Greenway created a benchmark that many strove to beat.

And there we have it!

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