Fairytale Gems

5C Hilda Hart and Illustrated by Jennie Harbor. London: Raphael Tuck & Sons Ltd, 1920. 

Notes

A very sweet concertina style children’s book with each fairytale panel accompanied by a charming illustrated panel. The panels depict the following fairytales: The Goose Girl, Red Riding Hood, the Beautiful Princess, Beauty and the Beast, the Sleeping Beauty, the Magic Mirror, Cinderella, and Snow White and Rose Red. As a children’s illustrator Jennie Harbor focused on nursery rhymes and fairytales and his best known as the illustrator of a number of Andrew Lang’s ferry books. 

Jennie Harbour (1893–1959) was an English Art Deco illustrator celebrated for her romantic, dreamlike depictions of fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Working primarily for Raphael Tuck & Sons in the 1910s–1930s, she illustrated classics such as Mother Goose, Hans Christian Andersen’s Tales, and My Book of Favourite Fairy Tales. Her work is instantly recognizable for its soft color palettes, delicate brushwork, and elegant Art Deco flourishes that merge fantasy with refinement. Harbour’s illustrations captured the nostalgic charm of the “Golden Age” of illustration, and her prints, postcards, and books remain highly collectible today for their timeless grace and whimsical beauty.

Description

Housed in its original cardboard box with a fairytale gyms illustration repeated on an online way to the lid. Very well preserved, copy, retaining original ties with some slight discoloration to the only and some minor wear to the box.