Exhibition

Child's Play

In the 19th century, with the work of Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Lewis Carroll, and others, children's fairy tales and nursery rhymes began to be widely published, documenting what was originally a rich oral tradition across western cultures.
A scene from the Danish fairytale The Altar Cup of Aagerup comes to dramatic life in a pen and watercolor drawing by artist Richard Doyle (1824–1883). Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

A scene from the Danish fairytale The Altar Cup of Aagerup comes to dramatic life in a pen and watercolor drawing by artist Richard Doyle (1824–1883). Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

Hobgoblins by Charles F. Robinson, pen and watercolor, undated. Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

Hobgoblins by Charles F. Robinson, pen and watercolor, undated. Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

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A scene from the Danish fairytale The Altar Cup of Aagerup comes to dramatic life in a pen and watercolor drawing by artist Richard Doyle (1824–1883). Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Hobgoblins by Charles F. Robinson, pen and watercolor, undated. Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

In the 19th century, with the work of Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Lewis Carroll, and others, children’s fairy tales and nursery rhymes began to be widely published, documenting what was originally a rich oral tradition across western cultures. In Britain, such publications were enlivened by the work of some of the most talented artists and illustrators of the period, including Walter Crane (1845–1915), Arthur Rackham (1867–1939), and Kate Greenaway (1846–1901).

“Child’s Play? Children’s Book Illustration of 19th-Century Britain” takes a closer look at the genre. Drawing The Huntington’s art and literary collections, this small, focused exhibition includes a selection of rare drawings as well as the books themselves. Although beguiling, some of the stories and their illustrations represent the often complicated layering of the joys and fears related to childhood and child rearing.