Two-page open spread from "The Twelve Dancing Princesses and Other Fairy Tales" (1923) retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch and illustrated by Kay Nielsen. There is type on the left page reading "'I have had such a terrible dream,'she declared. '...a pretty bird swooped down, snatched it from my hands and flew away with it.'" The illustration on the right page shows a woman in an elaborate gown and hairdo watching as a pink bird flies away with a bouquet in its beak.
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John M. Olin Library, Level 1, Thomas Gallery

Look/Read: Illustration as Media History from 1850-1950

Look/Read: Illustration as Media History from 1850-1950 examines the evolution of illustration and how the relationship between word and image led to increasing demand for popular print. This exhibition follows the evolution of popular print through a century of printed matter alongside original works of art created for printed illustration. The emergence of notable authors and artists, along with advances in printing technology, played major roles in capturing public interest.

Illustrated title page with four slice of life cutouts depicting two children sleeping, a couple wooing, a mother and infant, and an elderly couple all surrounded by flowers in bloom.
Illustrations in Godey’s Lady’s Book from 1849.
Mother and young daughter putting flowers in their hair.
Cover of the July 1944 Ladies Home Journal from the Al Parker Collection.

Largely found in books and periodicals, the exhibition’s prolific visuals showcase developments in printing technologies, changes in illustration styles, and how the combination of word and image met demand for entertaining content.

The exhibition includes items from the Rare Book Collections and the Dowd Illustration Research Archive, as well as pieces on loan from the Korshak Collection.

Look/Read: Illustration as Media History from 1850-1950 was organized by Andrea Degener, curator of the Dowd Illustration Research Archive; Douglas B. Dowd, Dowd Illustration Research Archive faculty director; and Cassie Brand, curator of Rare Books.

Header Image Credit: The twelve dancing princesses and other fairy tales, retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch and illustrated by Kay Nielsen, 1923. All pieces featured are from the Dowd Illustration Research Archive collections.