Rackham, Arthur (1867-1939) by Scholes, Robert

Arthur Rackham (1867 – 1939) Arthur Rackham was born in 1867, one of twelve children. He studied at the City of London School where he won prizes and a reputation for his art. At the age of 18, he became a clerk, and in his spare time studied at the Lambeth School of Art. He made occasional sales to the illustrated magazines of the day like Scraps and Chums. In 1891 and 1892, he had a close association with the Pall Mall Budget as one of this weekly’s main illustrative reporters. He did a lot of illustrating for books and magazines in the 1890s, but came into his own as an artist/illustrator in the Edwardian period. He challenged Tenniel with illustrations for the Alice books, and he showed all his powers in illustrations for Wagner’s sequence of operas, The Ring of the Nibelungs. He was the dominant illustrator of the Edwardian period. Information about him and images of his work are widely available on the web and elsewhere.

Alice and the Caterpillar
— Rackham, Arthur

 

Alice and the White Rabbit
— Rackham, Arthur

 

Brunhilde Awakening
— Rackham, Arthur

 

Siegfried and Brunhilde
— Rackham, Arthur

 

Photo of Arthur and Barbara Rackham (1917)
— Rackham, Edyth Starkie

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