Lewisham born Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) illustrated a number of well-known children’s books in the early 1900s, including Aesop’s Fables, Gulliver’s Travels and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. His work became intrinsically linked to the stories, with abiding memories based on the visuals he created. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens by J. M. Barrie was published in 1906 and included 46 colour plate illustrations by the artist. Below we hone in on the botanical detail of some of these artworks, where gnarly forests, grassy undergrowth, berries and flowers surrounded by twisted wintery trees, show clearly Rackham’s pen and ink, layered with watercolour glaze, drawing technique. Today, 75 years have passed since Rackham’s death, which denotes in the UK (and the US), his work is now in the Public Domain. This means you are free to adapt or use these artworks in any way you choose. For a full close-up view of each magical fairy-tale scene, click on image to enlarge to a printable size.
