'Alice' Exhibition of Original Illustrations

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Sir John Tenniel (1820 - 1914), an illustrator and political cartoonist for the magazine 'Punch', made the illustrations for both Lewis Carroll's Alice books. He got precise instructions from Carroll, so the Alice we all know is most certainly the Alice that Carroll imagined. Tenniel never liked to take work from outside, and Dodgson had driven him almost crazy by providing him with so much details and instructions, so he almost turned it down when he was asked to illustrate the sequel. It was probably only his love of drawing animals that persuaded him to contemplate it at all. This exhibition is a selection of the best illustrations from both books (about half of the complete number) in which the creative genius of both Carroll and Tenniel is shown at its best. The original drawings were made on wooden blocks and then engraved by commercial engravers in London. The prints on show - printed directly from the original wood blocks - are perfect examples of the skill of both illustrator and engraver.