In Fairyland A Series of Pictures from the Elf-World
Date
1870
Level of description
Item
Extent and medium
Spine torn. VR bookstamp on front pastedown. All leaves disbound. Inscribed 'Earl Brownlow Ashridge Berkhamsted'
Creator
Doyle, Richard: Richard Doyle (1824 - 1883) Illustrator and water colourist. Created the pictures in the book first without having a printer or a publisher. The verses were added after the drawings were afterwards.
Ref: Heseltine, M. (2016, January 07) Doyle, Richard [pseud. Dick Kitcat] 1824 - 1883 illustrator and watercolour painter Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Evans, Edmund: Edmund Evans was a leading woodblock and colour printer in London from the 1860s. He made the 16 printed plates for the books in 8 - 12 colours. McLean, R, (2004 September 23) Evans, Edmund 1826 -1902, wood engraver and printer. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Allingham, William: William Allingham (1824 - 1889) poet interested in British and Irish folk lore and ballads, famous for his 1849 poem 'The Fairies'. Welch, R (2004, September 23) Allingham, William (1824 - 1889) poet. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Evans, Edmund: Edmund Evans was a leading woodblock and colour printer in London from the 1860s. He made the 16 printed plates for the books in 8 - 12 colours. McLean, R, (2004 September 23) Evans, Edmund 1826 -1902, wood engraver and printer. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Allingham, William: William Allingham (1824 - 1889) poet interested in British and Irish folk lore and ballads, famous for his 1849 poem 'The Fairies'. Welch, R (2004, September 23) Allingham, William (1824 - 1889) poet. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Scope and content
In Fairy Land: Pictures from the Fairy World was published in 1870 by Longman, Green, Reader & Dyer. The artist behind the book was Richard Doyle who produced the drawings first, the leading London wood engraver Edmund Evans then produced 16 colour plate and the words of poet William Allingham were added.
Although the publication date is 1870, the V&A collections catalogue (https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O112732/proof-doyle-richard/) says that Longmans in fact manged to put the edition in the shops in time for Christmas 1869. This information accompanies an item in the collection which is a proof copy of an elf wood engraving (after Doyle) which the museum thinks may have been produced for what its describes as Doyle's masterpiece In Fairy Land.
In Doyle's entry in the ODNB, the book is described as 'generally considered to be one of the greatest books of the nineteenth century for its illustrations and production.' The entry for Edmund Evans says 'it is one of the most entertaining children's books ever made.'
The RSN copy was donated by Earl Brownlow, who served as a Trustee and on the Finance Committee of the Royal School of Art Needlework in the 1870s and 1880s. He was the son of Lady Marian Alford. Its inclusion in the 'paint room' library of the Royal School of Art Needlework is indicative of some of the sources that were influencing needlework design at that time.
https://collections.vam.ac.uk./item/0112732/proof-doyle-richard
Heseltine, M. (2016, January 07) Doyle, Richard [pseud. Dick Kitcat] 1824 - 1883 illustrator and watercolour painter. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
McLean, R, (2004 September 23) Evans, Edmund 1826 -1902, wood engraver and printer. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Although the publication date is 1870, the V&A collections catalogue (https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O112732/proof-doyle-richard/) says that Longmans in fact manged to put the edition in the shops in time for Christmas 1869. This information accompanies an item in the collection which is a proof copy of an elf wood engraving (after Doyle) which the museum thinks may have been produced for what its describes as Doyle's masterpiece In Fairy Land.
In Doyle's entry in the ODNB, the book is described as 'generally considered to be one of the greatest books of the nineteenth century for its illustrations and production.' The entry for Edmund Evans says 'it is one of the most entertaining children's books ever made.'
The RSN copy was donated by Earl Brownlow, who served as a Trustee and on the Finance Committee of the Royal School of Art Needlework in the 1870s and 1880s. He was the son of Lady Marian Alford. Its inclusion in the 'paint room' library of the Royal School of Art Needlework is indicative of some of the sources that were influencing needlework design at that time.
https://collections.vam.ac.uk./item/0112732/proof-doyle-richard
Heseltine, M. (2016, January 07) Doyle, Richard [pseud. Dick Kitcat] 1824 - 1883 illustrator and watercolour painter. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
McLean, R, (2004 September 23) Evans, Edmund 1826 -1902, wood engraver and printer. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Reference code
Books/Do3
