The Frogs Desiring a King

The Frogs Desiring a King

Richard Heighway

Photomechanical reproduction of pen and ink drawing.

5 x 3½ inches

Joseph Jacobs,The Fables of Aesop, p.28.

One of Heighway’s most amusing illustrations, with a series of smiling frogs welcoming their new king with no perception of what is about to happen (that is, be eaten). The image is treated as a flat linear design, with lyrical contrasts between the stylized waves and the Art Nouveau arabesques of the waterside plants.

Click on image to enlarge it.

Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke.

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]