Researching nursery rhyme
illustrations I came across this gem by Charles Folkard (1878-1963) and
couldn’t wait to share it with you. I bought it as a single sheet, but have no
idea as to the title of the book it’s from. Paramount amongst childrens’ book illustrators,
Folkard started out as a conjuror, (no wonder his pictures are so magical), but
turning to illustration he created the Teddy Tail character for the Daily Mail
and is famous for The Arabian Nights, Grimms’ Fairy Tales and Pinocchio.
I first came across his work
when many years ago I bought Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes, edited by
L.Edna Walter. Apart from his four coloured pictures, this 1924 edition has
Folkard drawings liberally spotting the text, including some exquisite
silhouettes. I’ll always remember where and when I bought it, on a hot summer’s
afternoon in Great Malvern in that bookshop that’s at the top of the steps leading up from the gardens in front of the Priory. I looked down on
them from a hot stuffy little room and saw Edward Elgar slowly walking towards
the Priory with his dogs. For only a second or two, but that’s another story.
4 comments:
Lovely image. I have not heard of the artist before.
Good ain't it Stephen. So much of its time, but equally timeless.
Definitely Clarice Cliff-type colours there. I remember a copy of Alice in Wonderland my father had as a boy with a similar illustration style - wonder if it was the same artist?
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