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Title page (uncoloured) for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker'

Maker

(artist)
1865-1918

Title

Title page (uncoloured) for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker'

Date of Production

1883

Medium

graphite, pen and black ink on card, with black ink framing lines, the borders discoloured from a previously acidic mount

Dimensions

Height: 31.7 cm
Width: 23.4 cm

Accession Number

D.1978.XX.10

Mode of Acquisition

Witt Library, transfer, 1978 (circa)

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords





Related Works

No image available No image available Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the shoemaker carrying a goose over his shoulders 'Reform' cartoon (recto) Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the shoemaker and his wife watching the elves from behind a curtain Title page (coloured) for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' Studies for the 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the shoemaker yawning in bed and the shoemaker looking out his window (recto) Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - a customer buying shoes Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the shoemaker carrying home a goose over his shoulders Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - a customer trying on shoes Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the shoemaker and his wife watching the elves from behind a curtain Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the shoemaker goes peaceably to bed (recto) Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - elves dressing Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the shoemaker saying his prayers Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the shoemaker and his wife examining clothes and shoes for the elves Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the shoemaker startled at seeing shoes Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the elves going out of the town Studies for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' including elves at work, elves cutting out work with large shears and elf brushing a shoe, with other unrelated figure studies including a man in a top hat (recto) Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the shoemaker and his wife by the fireside Studies for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' including the shoemaker leaves a light burning and the elves bustling away, and unrelated figure studies including a man ice skating (recto) Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the shoemaker looking out his window Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - naked elves bustling away (recto) Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the shoemaker buys more leather Illustration for 'The Elves ande the Shoemaker' - the shoemaker examining the workmanship Studies for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the shoemaker examines the workmanship, the shoemaker leaves a light burning and the shoemaker is startled at seeing shoes (recto) Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the shoemaker and a lady customer in a bonnet Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the shoemaker yawning in bed Various male figure studies (recto) Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the elves at work (recto) Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the elves singing Illustration for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' - the shoemaker and his wife coming from church

Label Text

George Halkett, art critic and editor of several weekly magazines, was best known as a political cartoonist. His illustrations to the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale 'Rumpelstiltskin' (1882) are possibly his only published illustrations for a children's book. The designs he made the next year for 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' followed the same format, but were evidently not published.
This selection of preparatory studies shows the artist's working ideas for black-and-white illustrations, some of them framed, to be set within the text. Starting with pencil, Halkett experiments with details, before finishing in pen and ink. The strong outlines, bright colours and solid black areas in these full-page illustrations were hallmarks of the style popularized by Walter Crane (1845-1915) in his widely influential 'Toy Books' published between 1865-76. The new picture book format replaced the more educational material read by previous generations of children. The titles are taken from Halkett's working notes.

Provenance

Witt Library transfer 1978

Exhibition History

Special Display - Characters and Caricatures, Late Victorian Illustration, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 10/02/2011-08/06/2011

Once Upon a Time - Artists and Storytelling, Embankment Galleries, Somerset House, London, 24/06/2009-26/07/2009

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: none.

Inscription: Recto: upper right (within drawing), graphite, titled: "THE ELVES / and the / SHOEMAKER / WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS."; left centre (within drawing), graphite, signed: "BY / GEO. R. HALKETT.". Verso: lower right, graphite: "ex. WITT LIBRARY / 921/66(11)".

Stamp: Recto: right centre margin, black ink: "WITT / LIBRARY".

Collector's mark: none.

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