RACKHAM, Arthur (illus.); ANDERSEN, Hans Christian.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Original Artwork for Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales: "An Old, Old Woman Leaning on a Crutch". Intended for Rackham's 1932 edition of Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales, illustrating "an old, old woman leaning on a crutch: she had on a big sun-hat, painted with the most lovely flowers" from the third story of "The Snow Queen" entitled "The Flower Garden of the Woman Who Knew Magic".The reverse of the board notes, in Rackham's hand, "Midsummer Night's Dream, Pictures by Arthur Rackham, MS by Graily Hewitt, No 14, From Arthur Rackham, 6 Primrose Hill Gardens, To the Director New York Public Library". This relates to the artist's commission from the Spencer Collection for a unique copy of Shakespeare's play which "Rackham designed, illustrated and oversaw in production in 1928 and 1929" (Hamilton, p. 136). The note is entirely unrelated to the present illustration.The third story in "The Snow Queen" tells of Gerda's search for Kay. When she encounters a river she finds "a little house with curious blue and red windows. It had a thatched roof, and in front two wooden soldiers, who presented arms to those who sailed past".The 1932 publication included only eight coloured plates. It was one of Rackham's first longer books published with Harrap, and reflected a change in publishing conditions and the "market pattern" in that there were fewer illustrations than in Rackham's books of previous decades. The old woman (who is "not a wicked witch", but one who practises "a little magic for her own a

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