Classic Fairy Tale Illustrations & Where to Find Online

This is not meant to be a scholarly inquiry into the origins and evolution of fairy tale illustrations. Mainly, I hope it demonstrates how many wonderful illustrators have deployed their talents in this fascinating area and how easy it is to find the classic illustrations online.

Most people searching online for resources in this area will come across Wikipedia articles or sites selling prints or books. I am not being critical of these resources but the best place to find classic books and illustrations is Project Gutenberg. This is where most of the material on this page comes from and all of it is free and also out of copyright.

This means you can use the pictures and text in anyway that you like- though you should read the site's licence section if you are planning on commercial uses of Gutenberg material.

The Golden Age of Children's Book Illustration

The Victorian and Edwardian Periods are widely recognized as a time when great talents were attracted into the field of book illustration of all kinds. This was before photography had reached a point that it could supplant illustration. At the same time, prosperity in Europe and America meant an enormous appetite for picture books and journals.

George Cruikshank is credited as a pioneer in the UK. Later Richard Doyle, John Tenniel, the Dalziel Brothers, Walter Crane, Randolph Caldecott and Kate Greenaway helped to transform childrens' illustrations into an art form of its own.

In the US, at the same time, Howard Pyle was transforming illustrations for children's books, and his many famous students made enduring contributions in a tradition that would lead eventually to Disney's Snow White and Cinderella.

The peak of the 'Golden Age of Illustration' saw the astonishing imaginative outputs of Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, Willy Pogany, Kay Nielsen, W Heath Robinson and Jessie Willcox Smith.

The Origin of Fairy Tales

Most classic European fairy tales were originally folk stories collected by scholars of folk traditions. One of the first and most famous collections is 'The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault' which includes Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Bluebeard, Puss in Boots and Little Thumb. You find the book here:gutenberg.org/files

The Brothers Grimm produced another outstanding collection that includes Hansel and Gretel. 'Andersen's Fairy Tales' by Hans Christian Andersen gave us the terrifying Snow Queen and the The Little Mermaid amongst many others.

What is a true Fairy Tale?

You can find a pretty scholarly examination of Fairy Tales in this article: wikipedia Fairy_tale. Generally, purists like to exclude the works of individual writers like Lewis Carrol who wrote Alice in Wonderland or J.M. Barrie who wrote Peter Pan. The term 'Fairy Tale' is reserved for stories collected from folklore.

Since this page is about illustrations rather than the stories, I have included illustrations from some works that might not fit the truest description of being a Fairy Tale- hoping no one is too upset!

Fairy tales can be Sweet or Scary

Fairy tales are a potent mixture of magic, marvel, nightmare and insight. One moment, they are a thrilling fantasy, the next they are exploring our deepest fears. So, it should be no surprise that some illustrators have focussed on all that is sweet and some have focussed on the scary stuff.

Luckily, most Fairy Tales have a 'Fairy Tale ending'. So the dark forces at play are usually something that is finally transcended.

Fairy Tale Illustrators from Northern Europe

Scandanavia has been a potent source of myths, legends and Fairy tales for over a thousand years- sometimes with an especially dark presence, sometimes with the most marvelous mystery and magic.

Two illustrators that deserve special mention are John Bauer from Sweden and Kay Nielson from Denmark.

Arthur Rackham

Arthur was probably the most famous English illustrator of his day. His illustrations are unsparing in their detail and there is a dark gothic edge in much of his work.

Some of my favourite illustrations are from 'Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens', a children s book that J.M. Barry penned after the success of Peter Pan on Stage.

For Rackham's most ethereal fairies, it is worth hunting out his illustrations for a Midsummer's Night Dream. Shakespeare's play is rich in English folklore and even though, it could not be called a 'Fairy Tale', it is the fairy tale elements that have often attracted illustrators.

Illustrations to be found at Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg has the largest collection of free books to be found online. It is easy to search and books can be read online in any web browser or downloaded as Mobi files for an E-reader or tablet PC.

If you visit www.gutenberg.org/ you can find all of the books below, with their illustrations. Search in the box to the left for the specific titles or the artists.

An Ilustratred Copy of The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault

by Charles Perrault, et al, Translated by Robert Samber and J. E. Mansion, Illustrated by Harry Clarke

Walter Crane

The Sleeping Beauty Picture Book, by Anonymous, Illustrated by Walter Crane

Jennie Harbour

My Book of Favorite Fairy Tales, by Edric Vredenburg illus Jennie Harbour

Arthur Rackham

Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, by J. M. Barrie

ENGLISH FAIRY TALES illustrated by Arthur Rackham

A Midsummer's Night Dream Illustrated by Arthur Rackham

There are some of the most beautiful illustrations of the imagined world in this book but it is not available at Project Gutenberg. The video below gives a good idea of the quality of the work.

Edmund Dulac

Stories from Hans Andersen, by Hans Christian Andersen

Kay Nielsen

East of the Sun and West of the Moon, by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe