Edmund Dulac

The Little Mermaid
Edmund Dulac

I suppose there are children who can still lose themselves for hours in picture books, but back in 1910 there were a lot less distractions. Not to mention more "idle" time when kids were expected to be seen and not heard. The beginning of the 20th century is called the Golden Age of children's book illustration. It's interesting that many of the stories kids read then were based on adult literature, and of course plenty of fairy tales with built-in lessons.

Edmund Dulac 1882-1953

This sweet-looking man was a French artist who produced deluxe books like Stories from the Arabian Nights with 50 color illustrations. He became a naturalized British citizen in 1912. After WWI, lavish books became a rarity but his career continued in other areas-- everything from newspaper caricatures to candy boxes and postage stamps he designed for England. Here's some examples of Dulac's story art:

The Princess and the Pea

Stealers of Light

Cinderella

Fairy of the Garden of Paradise

The Nightingale

Alladin and the Genie

The Little Mermaid in the Sea

The Tempest