The Alice Illustrators
Sir John Tenniel
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Alice's Adventures Through the Looking Glass and What She Found There contain the well-known illustrations of Sir John Tenniel (1820-1914).
While most of Tenniel's illustrations were based on Carroll's drawings in Alice's Adventures Underground and Carroll's specifications, Tenniel's illustrations are among the finest ever produced. Each illustration was drawn on boxwood; the illustration was then sent to the engravers who engraved the block for printing. The remarkable detail and obvious care of Tenniel's illustrations despite this rather clumsy technique attest to the skill of both Tenniel and the engravers.
While most contemporary readers of Alice see little more than a childrens story, Victorian adults may have had a much different experience. Well known for his caricatures in Punch, a popular political magazine, Tenniel satirised political leaders and events. In fact, many scholars claim Alice characters are reminiscent of Tenniel's Punch drawings.
Other Illustrators
While Sir John Tenniel is well known as the original Alice illustrator, many other accomplished artists have depicted the adventures of this beloved little girl.
Among these other illustrators are Mabel Lucie Attwell, C.A. Federer, Bessie Pease Gutmann, Gwynedd M. Hudson, A.E. Jackson, Maria L. Kirk, Arthur Rackham, and Harry Riley. One of the most famous artists to illustrate the story is Salvador Dali. Published in 1969, the Dali Alice contains original woodcut remarques in a linen and leather case.
Image: Photograph of John Tenniel. The Tenniel Illustrations to the "Alice" Books. Michael Hancher. Ohio State University, 1985.
Featured Materials
- Sir John Tenniel byCall Number: Alice .book 447
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / pictured by Mabel Lucie AttwellCall Number: Alice .book 54Publication Date: 1910
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland : Illustrated in colour by A. E. JacksonCall Number: Alice .book 69Publication Date: 1926
Lewis Carroll and His Illustrators by Call Number: PR4612 .L4533 2003ISBN: 080144148XPublication Date: 2003-09-18This new collection of the letters that Lewis Carroll wrote to the illustrators and prospective illustrators of his books affords fresh insights into Carroll's complex character, traces the history of the books that became great classics of the Victorian era, and charts the sometimes tempestuous seas of Carroll's relationships with his correspondents. Carroll, a meticulous artist, made detailed demands upon his illustrators, who included John Tenniel, Henry Holiday, Arthur Burdett Frost, Harry Furniss, and Gertrude Thomson.Lewis Carroll and His Illustrators reveals the author as an expert in the details of book production in an age in which new technologies repeatedly altered the publishing process.- Tenniel Illustrations for Carroll's Alice in Wonderland byCall Number: Available online through UBC Library ; patrons will need a CWL to access this resourcePublication Date: 1994
Sir John Tenniel by Call Number: N6797.T44 E54 1991ISBN: 0859678725Publication Date: 1991-01-01Chronicles the career of Sir John Tenniel, best known for his illustration of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and for his cartoons published in Punch. This biography examines the themes Tenniel used in preparing his cartoons and includes approximately 150 examples of his work.- The Illustrators of Alice in Wonderland and Through the looking glass byCall Number: PR4611.A73 O9 1972Publication Date: 1972
Alice's Adverntures in Wonderland by Call Number: PR4611.A5 A6 2015ISBN: 9780691170022Publication Date: 2015-09-29Commemorating the 150th anniversary of one of the most beloved classics of children's literature, this illustrated edition presents Alice like you've never seen her before. In 1865, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, an Oxford mathematician and Anglican deacon, published a story about a little girl who tumbles down a rabbit hole. Thus was the world first introduced to Alice and her pseudonymous creator, Lewis Carroll. This beautiful new edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland features rarely seen illustrations by Salvador Dali; that illuminate the surreal yet curiously logical and mathematical realm into which Alice famously falls. In an informative and wide-ranging introduction, Carroll expert Mark Burstein discusses Dali's connections with Carroll, his treatment of the symbolic figure of Alice, and the mathematical nature of Wonderland. In addition, mathematician Thomas Banchoff reflects on the friendship he shared with Dali; and explores the mathematical undercurrents in Dali's work.
Beyond our Collections
- Alice in Wonderland.net - PicturesThe website includes links to illustrations, photographs and screen captures related to the Alice in Wonderland story, organized by source and character.
- Woodpeckings: The Dalziel Archive, Victorian Print Culture, and Wood EngravingsThis is an online exhibit about the Dalziel Brothers, the wood engraving firm that worked with Sir John Tenniel on the Alice stories.
- Arthur Rackham's Illustrations to Alice in WonderlandThe links on this page contain Arthur Rackham's illustrations to Alice in Wonderland. Follow the links to see a large version of the image.
- The Illustrators - Curiouser and CuriouserThis page lists the illustrators of Alice in chronological order by publication. Each illustrator has an image of their for Alice featured.