Fables and Fairy Tales - Illustrations from the Collection

Fables and Fairy Tales is a special display showcasing the Gallery’s extensive collection of prints and drawings, featuring illustrations for fairy tales, poems and stories by John Butler Yeats, Richard and Charles Doyle, Paul Henry and Harry Clarke. These fascinating images, created using a variety of media, include both preliminary sketches and colourful finished pieces. They date from the 1870s to the 1920s, a golden period in children’s book illustration.

A folk tale is a traditional story passed down through generations, while a fairy tale explores the battle between good and evil and contains magical elements. A fable always contains a moral message or cautionary point and often features animals which act like humans.

Fables, folk and fairy tales were originally intended for the entertainment of adults but since the early nineteenth century, when the Grimm brothers published their collected fairy stories, they have become a staple of children’s literature. These traditional folk tales gained worldwide popularity. Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales, first published in the author’s native Danish in 1835 and translated into English in 1848, marks the point when such stories became accepted as legitimate children’s literature.

The watercolours and drawings on display in this exhibition show how important illustration was during the 19th and early 20th century. The artists in the show, such as Harry Clarke (1889-1931), who was Irish, and Richard Doyle (1824-1883), who was English-born but with strong Irish connections, both worked for English publishers. Developments in printing technology allowed the creations of these artists to be translated faithfully into book form to be enjoyed by generations of children and adults alike.

The exhibition Fables and Fairy Tales is on view in the Millennium Wing (room 1) until 25 March 2012. Admission is free.