Art historian mindswirls

Musings of a victorian art historian. I like books and my favourite animal is a medieval elephant.

[songesoleil]

Faun und Nymphe, “Frühling”.1897. Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration, Oktober 1897- März 1898.

[the-evil-clergyman]

Among the flowers were lovely maidens calling to him with soft voices, from The Fairy of the Dawn for Andrew Lang's The Violet Fairy Book by Henry Justice Ford (1906)

[lepetitdragonvert]

Chilvaric Love

Artist : William Dacres Adams (1864-1951)

[garlandedspirits]

Isabella and the Pot of Basil

William Holman Hunt, 1868 // Arthur Trevethin Nowell, 1904 // John William Waterhouse, 1907 // George Henry Grenville Manton, 1919

[coisasequimeras]

Edward Burne-Jones (1833–1898), coloured drawing from ‘Letters to Katie, 1883–1889’

[centuriespast]

Auntie's Best Bonnet Beatrice Offor (1864–1920) Bruce Castle Museum

[eurydicesflowers]

Jane Burden Morris at The Rosettis: Radical Romantics // Tate Britain, 21/07/2023

[catonhottinroof-deactivated2023]

Herbert James Draper

A young girl by a pool

[papillon-de-mai]

King René's Honeymoon, Ford Madox Brown, made by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co, 1862

[sex-death-rebirth]

Faith, Hope, and Charity by William Blake, 1799

[flowerytale]

Frederick Sandys (1829–1904), May (detail)

[uwmspeccoll]

Publishers’ Binding Thursday

It’s time for another Publishers’ Binding Thursday post! This week I’m sharing The Happy Prince and Other Tales by famous Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde (1854-1900). This edition of this collection of short stories was published in 1913 in New York by G.P. Putnam’s Sons. It features art-nouveau-esque illustrations by British book illustrator Charles Robinson (1870-1837), who came from a family of illustrators including his father and brothers. This book is part of our Historical Curriculum Collection of books for children. 

The cover features the statue of the titular Happy Prince and the swallow who befriends him in the story (which is quite sad) stamped in gold on purple book cloth. The spine is highly decorative, featuring floral motifs and the title, author, illustrator, and publisher. I find it interesting that the title on the cover is “The Happy Prince and Other Stories” but on the title page it’s “The Happy Prince and Other Tales.” I wonder if there was a miscommunication or change that happened that led to them being different!

View more Publishers’ Binding Thursday posts.

View more posts from the Historical Curriculum Collection.

– Alice, Special Collections Department Manager

[enchantedbook]

Queen of the Night by Marjorie Miller Estes, 1928

[vangaux]

“Fleurs des Eaux” By Elisabeth Sonrel (1874-1953)

[loumargi]

Marianne Stokes (Honor the Women)tapestry, 1912

[eurydicesflowers]

These are just some personal faves tbh! And yes, I know I'm kinda playing loose and fast with the concept 'pre-raphaelite'

Are we still doing quizzes? I hope so!

[beardbriarandrose]

Sir Edward Burne-Jones, School For Dragon Babies, 1884, pencil on paper

[ponqo]

i can’t believe you posted this without posting the sequel!

[a-book-of-creatures]

It gets better and better