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Tanglewood-tales-1 - Public domain portrait drawing
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irginia Frances Sterrett: illustrator of Arabian Nights (1928)
I’m thinking about scanning an original 1899 edition of “Arabian Nights” with illustrations by W. H. Robinson and others, but I’m worried about messing up the binding so we’ll see about that. In the meantime, here is the triumphant but unfortunate story of the artist behind another edition of “Arabian Nights”: Virginia Sterrett.
She was born in Chicago in 1900. Her father died when she was very young, and her mother moved with Virginia and her sister to live with their extended family. Demonstrating an early talent for art, she entered and won prizes in drawing competitions at the Kansas State Fair Exhibition. Her course in life as an illustrator was set, and as a teenager she began to work for various advertising agencies. A bout of tuberculosis left her in a state of permanently poor health.
Her talent for fantasy art caught the attention of publishing houses, and at the age of 19 she completed her first book illustration commission for the volume “Old French Fairy Tales”. The same publishing company, Penn, immediately employed her again to illustrate “Tanglewood Tales”. By 1923, her illness had become so severe that it was necessary to enter a sanitorium as a long-term patient.
The Penn Publishing Company again commissioned her for a new edition of Arabian Nights. As before, this was a large commission: 16 colour illustrations, 20 in black ink, a coloured picture for the front cover and further drawings for the inside cover. Her failing vitality hindered the progress of the pieces and there were limited hours in which she could work, which meant that the project took three years to complete.
After some exhibitions, Penn signed her to create artwork for “Myths and Legends”. Sadly this assignment was never completed; Ms. Sterrett died after a relapse of her tuberculosis in the summer of 1931.
Tanglewood Tales for Boys and Girls, published in1853, is a book by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, a sequel to A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys. It is a re-writing of well-known Greek myths in a volume for children. The book includes the myths of: Theseus and the Minotaur (Chapter : "The Minotaur") Antaeus and the Pygmies (Chapter: "The Pygmies") Dragon's Teeth (Chapter: "The Dragon's Teeth") Circe's Palace (Chapter: "Circe's Palace") Proserpina, Ceres, Pluto, and the Pomegranate Seed (Chapter: "The Pomegranate Seed") Jason and the Golden Fleece (Chapter: "The Golden Fleece")
Fantasy art is a genre of art that features imaginative or fantastical elements, such as mythical creatures, magical landscapes, and otherworldly scenes. It often includes elements from science fiction, horror, and folklore, and is typically characterized by its vivid colors, intricate details, and otherworldly themes. Fantasy art can be found in various forms, such as paintings, illustrations, sculptures, and digital art. It has been a popular genre throughout history, with some of the earliest examples dating back to ancient civilizations. In modern times, fantasy art has gained a large following in the entertainment industry, particularly in the fields of video games, film, and literature. Many fantasy artists draw inspiration from real-life mythology and folklore, while others create entirely new worlds and creatures. Some of the most famous fantasy artists include J.R.R. Tolkien, who illustrated his own novels, and artists like Frank Frazetta, Michael Whelan, and Boris Vallejo, who have created numerous works for book covers, posters, and other media. Overall, fantasy art is a fascinating genre that allows artists to create fantastical and imaginative worlds that capture the imagination and transport viewers to other worlds and dimensions.
Sterrett received her first commission at the age of 19 (shortly after she was diagnosed with tuberculosis) from the Penn Publishing Company to illustrate Old French Fairy Tales (1920), a collection of works from the 19th-century French author, Comtesse de Ségur (Sophie Fedorovna Rostopchine). A year after the publication of Old French Fairy Tales, a new title including commissioned works from Sterrett was presented by the Penn Publishing Company—Tanglewood Tales (1921). From 1923, in failing health, Sterrett was able to work on projects for short periods of time only and as a result, she was able to complete just one further commission prior to her death—her own interpretation of Arabian Nights (1928). Her best-known work is the suite of illustrations for Arabian Nights (1928). She died of tuberculosis. The comments of the St Louis Post-Dispatch in the supplement published following Sterrett's death (published July 5, 1931) pay fitting tribute to her life and work: Her achievement was beauty, a delicate, fantastic beauty, created with brush and pencil. Almost unschooled in art, her life spent in prosaic places of the West and Middle West, she made pictures of haunting loveliness, suggesting Oriental lands she never saw and magical realms no one ever knew except in the dreams of childhood ... Perhaps it was the hardships of her own life that gave the young artist's work its fanciful quality. In the imaginative scenes she set down on paper she must have escaped from the harsh actualities of existence.
Collection - Tanglewood tales
A book by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, a sequel to A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys.Collection - Fantasy art
Is a broad and loosely defined artistic genre. It is not limited to a particular school of artists, geographic location or historical period.Collection - Virginia Frances Sterrett (1900–1931)
American artist and illustrator.
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