Illustrations of Walter Crane

November 12, 2024

Walter Crane was a hugely influential English illustrator and artist during the late 19th and early 20th centuries who is well remembered today for his work illustrating children's literature during its early, formative decades. Crane was a member of the Art Worker's Guild, established in 1884 to promote the unity of fine and applied arts in keeping with the ideals of the Arts and Crafts movement, similar to the Roycrofters in the United States. Often described as a "social design movement," members of the Arts and Crafts movement strove to restore standards of workmanship, design, and decoration they identified as having been lost in the rapid move toward industrialized mass production of goods. 

While he is best remembered for his illustrations, Crane used his skills as an artist to produce a wide variety of works in many formats beyond books, including paintings, ceramic tiles, wallpapers, and more. Some of his illustrations further bear characteristics of the Art Nouveau style, including dramatically curving lines depicting vines, flowers, and other natural elements.

Special Collections & Archives holds several works that contain illustrations by Crane, some in color and some not. Published in 1895, H.C. Beeching's A Book of Christmas Verse contains several black and white wood block prints throughout the text created by Crane, who also designed the red and black title page and the book's front cover.

Crane also contributed to Beauty's Awakening, a Masque of Winter and Spring with other members of the Art Worker's Guild in 1899. As Chairman of the Committee of Designers for the work, Crane worked with his colleagues in the Guild to feature illustrations, layouts, and other decorations created by its members. A careful viewing can reveal the initials and signatures of various artists, including Crane.

In 1901, Crane provided illustrations for Charles Lamb's A Masque of Days: From the Last Essays of Elia, a book for children that includes vibrant color illustrations. It takes child readers through a series of holidays that occur over the course of the year, enhanced by Crane's colorful and imaginative imagery showing many Art Nouveau characteristics.

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