Arthur Rackham Reinvigorates Grimms’ Fairy Tales

Alice Lucas’ 1900 English translation of Grimms’ fairy tales marked Arthur Rackham’s career-launching opportunity to cement his fame as a fairy tale illustrator. Contributing over 100 black and white drawings plus color frontispiece for the first edition, Rackham revisited and enhanced these foundational images for the remainder of his career.

Upon its release, Rackham immediately won recognition for his imaginative treatment of classics like Hansel and Gretel. Though he allowed his original 1900 illustrations to stand in subsequent reprints, he continued reworking certain key pieces. Adding both color and fresh black and white renditions, he ultimately expanded and refined the images until reaching 55 line drawings and 40 color plates for the definitive 1909 edition.

Format: Tan cloth binding with color pictorial stamping and black & yellow lettering, gilt top (464 pages)

Size: 5 3⁄4 x 7 3⁄4 inches

Text: Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm [translated] by Mrs. Edgar Lucas

Illustrations: Cover design, endpapers, color frontispiece, color title page, 99 black & white drawings by Arthur Rackham

Publisher: Freemantle & Co. (London)

First Edition Publication Date: 1900

Summary: At the turn of the 20th century, Arthur Rackham cemented his reputation as heir to masters like Walter Crane and Randolph Caldecott by providing over 100 magical illustrations for Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm. Published in 1900 with translations by Mrs. Edgar Lucas, Rackham demonstrates both his mastery of fairy imagery through his atmospheric black and white scenes as well as pioneering early adoption of color plates starring figures like Little Red Riding Hood.

PREFATORY NOTE BY THE ARTIST 1909 Edition

Some years ago a selection of Grimm’s Fairy Tales with one hundred illustrations of mine in black and white was published—in 1900, by Messrs. Freemantle and Co., and afterwards by Messrs. Archibald Constable & Co., Ltd.

At intervals since then I have been at work on the original drawings, partially or entirely re-drawing some of them in colour, adding new ones in colour and in black and white, and generally overhauling them as a set, supplementing and omitting, with a view to the present edition.

Of the forty coloured illustrations, many are elaborations of the earlier black and white drawings or are founded on them. The frontispiece, and those facing pp. 34, 70, 94, 104, 116, 118, and 190 are entirely new, and several of the text illustrations also have not been published before. The remaining illustrations in the text have been reconsidered and worked on again to a greater or less degree.

ARTHUR RACKHAM. Hampstead, September 1909.

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With his ornate borders, smoky textures, and figures seemingly disappearing into menacing landscapes, Rackham reinvented the Grimms’ 19th century stories like “Hansel and Gretel” for the modern era. Balancing whimsy and gloom, this signature work endures as his breakout statement introducing generations worldwide to the dark dreams and fantasies dwelling at the edges of childhood imagination through new vivid dimensionality.

Rackham counted his dream-like Grimm interpretations among his personal favorites, retaining lifelong affection for these childhood stories that fueled his signature style. Their runaway popularity also afforded him rare creative freedom to periodically upgrade earlier work.

As he evolved into history’s preeminent fairy tale visual voice, new generations would discover the tales through Rackham’s lens. His haunted forests, ominous witch huts, and glowing magical shapes reshaped public image of the Grimm brothers’ most enduring adventures. While illustrators toiling without acclaim were routinely replaced, Rackham’s work remains synonymous with the fairy tale tradition itself.

Alice Erichsen (1855 – 1944) AKA Mrs. Edgar Lucas, Alice Lucas, & Mrs. E. V. Lucas

Originally named Alice Erichsen, fairy tale anthology translator Mrs. Edgar Lucas came from a Danish family that settled in England. Born in 1855 to businessman Hermann Erichsen and wife Anna Suhr Erichsen, Alice grew up with sister and acclaimed illustrator Nelly Erichsen, who worked on early editions of Hans Christian Andersen’s stories. After marrying Edgar Lucas in 1875, the couple had several children.

Living in London, Alice Lucas produced lauded translations of Andersen, Henrik Pontoppidan, and other Danish fairy tale and poetry staples. For the 1900 edition of the Brothers Grimm’s stories illustrated by Arthur Rackham, she provided the English adaptation grafting herself into a lineage of women propelling fantasy traditions. While Rackham receives acclaim for his visual interpretations, Lucas’ faithful yet inventive prose crucially restored resonant immediacy to the Grimms’ century-old manuscripts.

By striking the right balance between familiar phrasings and introducing hints of unfamiliarity that amplify the tales’ undercurrents, Lucas amplifies Rackham’s shadowy scenes. Her syntheses of Victorian, Nordic, and Romantic stylistic elements let the unvarnished absurdism and violence of the folk stories remerge. Together, Lucas and Rackham jolt an enervating current into age-old cautionary myths, making them electric for 20th century imaginations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the content of the Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm?

The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm contains over 200 fairy tales, folk tales, and fables that the German academics Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm collected and published starting in 1812. These include famous stories like “Cinderella,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Rapunzel,” “Rumpelstiltskin,“ and “Little Red Riding Hood” among dozens more recounting magical adventures and transformations.

Who is Arthur Rackham and what is his contribution?

Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) was a British illustrator considered one of history’s forefathers of fantasy artwork. In 1900, Rackham provided over 100 atmospheric black and white drawings plus color pieces for the first English translation of Grimm fairy tales. This catapulted him to fame and shaped the modern visual language around classics like “Snow White.”

What is the significance of the 1909 edition?

The 1909 edition cementing Rackham’s renown contains his completed vision after refining earlier illustrations for a decade. It features 40 dazzling color plates, including iconic scenes like the woodsman saving Little Red Riding Hood. Along with 55 line drawings, this definitive edition secured Rackham’s legacy as the foremost fairy tale illustrator and became his career-defining work.