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Arthur Rackham
Arthur Rackham

Arthur Rackham

English, 1867-1939
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Arthur Rackham was an English book illustrator. He is recognised as one of the leading figures during the Golden Age of British book illustration. His work is noted for its robust pen and ink drawings, which were combined with the use of watercolour, a technique he developed due to his background as a journalistic illustrator.

Rackham's 51 colour pieces for the Early American tale became a turning point in the production of books since – through colour-separated printing – it featured the accurate reproduction of colour artwork. Some of his best-known works include the illustrations for Rip Van Winkle, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm.

Rackham was born at 210 South Lambeth Road, Vauxhall, London as one of 12 children. In 1884, at the age of 17, he was sent on an ocean voyage to Australia to improve his fragile health, accompanied by two aunts. At the age of 18, he worked as a clerk at the Westminster Fire Office and began studying part-time at the Lambeth School of Art.

In 1892, he left his job and started working for the Westminster Budget as a reporter and illustrator. His first book illustrations were published in 1893 in To the Other Side by Thomas Rhodes, but his first serious commission was in 1894 for The Dolly Dialogues, the collected sketches of Anthony Hope, who later went on to write The Prisoner of Zenda. Book illustrating then became Rackham's career for the rest of his life.

By the turn of the century, Rackham had developed a reputation for pen and ink fantasy illustration with richly illustrated gift books such as The Ingoldsby Legends (1898), Gulliver's Travels and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (both 1900). This was developed further through the austere years of the Boer War with regular contributions to children's periodicals such as Little Folks and Cassell's Magazine. In 1901 he moved to Wychcombe Studios near Haverstock Hill, and in 1903 married his neighbour Edyth Starkie. Edith suffered a miscarriage in 1904, but the couple had one daughter, Barbara, in 1908. Although acknowledged as an accomplished black-and-white book illustrator for some years, it was the publication of his full colour plates to Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle by Heinemann in 1905 that particularly brought him into public attention, his reputation being confirmed the following year with J.M.Barrie's Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, published by Hodder & Stoughton. Income from the books was greatly augmented by annual exhibitions of the artwork at the Leicester Galleries. Rackham won a gold medal at the Milan International Exhibition in 1906 and another one at the Barcelona International Exposition in 1912. His works were included in numerous exhibitions, including one at the Louvre in Paris in 1914.

From 1906 the family lived in Chalcot Gardens, near Haverstock Hill, until moving from London to Houghton, West Sussex in 1920. In 1929 the family settled into a newly built property in Limpsfield, Surrey. Arthur Rackham died in 1939 of cancer at his home.

245 items

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Undine outside the window

Undine outside the window (1912)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
Wandering about and ‘boo-hoo’-ing.

Wandering about and ‘boo-hoo’-ing. (1911)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
What, indeed, could she do

What, indeed, could she do (1911)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
When a score of ewes had brought in a remarkable profit.

When a score of ewes had brought in a remarkable profit. (1911)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
Witches and warlocks, ghosts, goblins and ghouls

Witches and warlocks, ghosts, goblins and ghouls (1911)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
And that is the story of Mr. and Mrs. Vinegar

And that is the story of Mr. and Mrs. Vinegar (1927)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman

Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman (1927)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
King Log

King Log (1912)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
Many’s the beating he had from the broomstick or the ladle

Many’s the beating he had from the broomstick or the ladle (1927)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
Mr. and Mrs. Vinegar at home

Mr. and Mrs. Vinegar at home (1927)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
She sate down and plaited herself an overall of rushes and a cap to match

She sate down and plaited herself an overall of rushes and a cap to match (1927)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
She went along, and went along, and went along

She went along, and went along, and went along (1927)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
Somebody has been at my porridge, and has eaten it all up!

Somebody has been at my porridge, and has eaten it all up! (1927)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
Taking the keys of the castle, Jack unlocked all the doors

Taking the keys of the castle, Jack unlocked all the doors (1927)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
Tattercoats dancing while the gooseherd pipes

Tattercoats dancing while the gooseherd pipes (1927)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
The Bear and the Fox

The Bear and the Fox (1912)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
The Blackamoor

The Blackamoor (1912)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
The Cat and the Birds

The Cat and the Birds (1912)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
The Cat and the Cock

The Cat and the Cock (1912)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
The Cock and the Jewel

The Cock and the Jewel (1912)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
The Crab and his Mother

The Crab and his Mother (1912)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
The Fir-tree and the Bramble

The Fir-tree and the Bramble (1912)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
The fisherman and his wife had no children, and they were just longing for a baby

The fisherman and his wife had no children, and they were just longing for a baby (1927)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
The Flea and the Man

The Flea and the Man (1912)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
The Fox and the Crow

The Fox and the Crow (1912)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
The Frogs and the Well

The Frogs and the Well (1912)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
The giant Cormoran was the terror of all the country-side

The giant Cormoran was the terror of all the country-side (1927)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
The giant Galligantua and the wicked old magician transform the duke’s daughter into a white hind

The giant Galligantua and the wicked old magician transform the duke’s daughter into a white hind (1927)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
The Gnat and the Lion

The Gnat and the Lion (1912)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
The Hare and the Tortoise

The Hare and the Tortoise (1912)

Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939)
Illustration
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