We know that words are used to tell a story, but what happened to that old saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words?" Is it not true that pictures are just as, if not more, valuable than the words themselves in telling a story? Illustrations provide a physical representation of the mental pictures one experiences when reading, but when illustrations provide a story all of their own, it's something special.
The Great Gatsby was written and published in the 1920's. Not only was this a period of extravagance and luxury in American history, but art history was flourishing as well. This week I want to take a break from the focus I've held on Gatsby, and zoom out to take a look at the Golden Age of Illustration.
As it has been mentioned, illustrations bring something to a book that is often difficult to accomplish via text alone. The Golden Age of Illustration was a huge factor in bringing this medium into the mix. From the 1880's through the 1920's, (though there is some debate that it actually lasted up until the end of WWI), artists were in the midst of an unprecedented period of excellence in book illustrations. In both Europe and America, there were small groups of illustrators emerging and becoming successful in response to the works they were producing. Many of their pieces were inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement, especially those from Britain. American artists were being influenced by Brandywine School, a style of illustration and an artists colony founded by Howard Pyle.
The Great Gatsby was written and published in the 1920's. Not only was this a period of extravagance and luxury in American history, but art history was flourishing as well. This week I want to take a break from the focus I've held on Gatsby, and zoom out to take a look at the Golden Age of Illustration.
As it has been mentioned, illustrations bring something to a book that is often difficult to accomplish via text alone. The Golden Age of Illustration was a huge factor in bringing this medium into the mix. From the 1880's through the 1920's, (though there is some debate that it actually lasted up until the end of WWI), artists were in the midst of an unprecedented period of excellence in book illustrations. In both Europe and America, there were small groups of illustrators emerging and becoming successful in response to the works they were producing. Many of their pieces were inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement, especially those from Britain. American artists were being influenced by Brandywine School, a style of illustration and an artists colony founded by Howard Pyle.
Arts & Crafts Movement (samples of William Morris)
Brandywine School (Howard Pyle)
Up until 1880, illustrations were produced via woodblocks and black and white printing; however, halftones came along and a short time later, around 1900, full-color was in full swing. Magazines took hold of this new process because the circumstances were almost entirely in their favor; railroads were spanning the continent, paper was cheaper than ever, and the general public was becoming wealthier as a result of industrialization. Children's books were also gaining momentum in the world of illustrations. Perhaps the most notable name in this area of specialization was Arthur Rackham. His illustrations for books such as Alice in Wonderland, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Tales of Brothers Grimm are his most notable, but his contribution to the period is undeniably immense.
Below are some samples of his works.
Below are some samples of his works.
Back to magazines... Born right in the middle of the Golden Age of Illustrations was Charles Scribner's magazine, aptly named Scribner's Magazine. This periodical would now be competing with Harper's Magazine and Atlantic Monthly. Interestingly enough, these were three of the biggest contributors to the success of illustrations in print. As you can imagine, with such a high demand for the top-quality images of the time, illustrators were in high demand as well. Unfortunately, this boom came to an end in the 1930's due to newer, more efficient technologies springing up to take the place of the old. Thus, photographic reproduction was born, and is still, for the most part, the number-one source of the images we are bombarded with in the checkout lanes of the local grocery store.
Focusing back on Charles Scribner... not only did his company Charles Scribner's Sons print periodicals, they were known for the books they printed. I recognized the name as I was researching for the Golden Age and immediately knew where I'd seen the name. They were the first to print The Great Gatsby! How cool is that? A magazine company, one of the first to fully incorporate color images, is responsible for the printing of the book with the famous and beautiful cover art.
Focusing back on Charles Scribner... not only did his company Charles Scribner's Sons print periodicals, they were known for the books they printed. I recognized the name as I was researching for the Golden Age and immediately knew where I'd seen the name. They were the first to print The Great Gatsby! How cool is that? A magazine company, one of the first to fully incorporate color images, is responsible for the printing of the book with the famous and beautiful cover art.