Arthur Rackham was born September 19, 1867, in London, England, he was one of twelve children born during the Victorian era. He studied at the City of London School, where he gained a reputation as an artist and won many awards, until he turned 18. At that time he took a position as a clerk, but still kept up with his art and made the occasional sale. During this time he also studied at the Lambeth School of Art.

 

In 1892 he left his clerks job to devote himself as a full-time illustrator for the Westminster Budget. He spent much of the next years illustrating various books and slowly developing his own unique style. It was when he illustrated the 1905 Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving that he came into his own. Rackham painted 51 color plates that were bound into the last section of the book.

 

Rackham's style featured sinuous pen lines that were softened by the use of water color. The forests he created had giant and almost frightening roots. He was able to create a balance between chaste and sensuous fairies. His ogres and trolls were ugly, but not so frightening that a natural goodness didn't show through. And his backgrounds were sprinkled with hints of hidden images or an animated animal or trees. "In imagination, draftsmanship and colour-blending, his work stands alone. His deep understanding of the spirit of myth, fable, and folklore affords him a transcendent range of expression." [Arthur Rackham, a Bibliography, by Sarah Briggs Latimore and Grace Clark Haskell, Los Angeles, Suttonhouse, 1936] Rackham has been called "the leading decorative illustrator of the Edwardian period.... We see him.... in 1905 at the outset of twenty years of the most prolific and prosperous creative work ever enjoyed by an English illustrator." [Arthur Rackham, His Life and Work, by Derek Hudson, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1960]

 

Here are some links with further information:

 

Bio of Rackham: http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/rackham.htm

 

Collection of Rackham's work: http://www.artpassions.net/rackham/rackham.html

 

More of Rackham's work: http://www.gerdesdesign.com/fairies.htm