The Wild Swans

The Wild Swans

Arthur Gaskin

Wood-engraving by Gaskin

5¾ x 3½ inches

Andersen, Hans Christian,Stories and Fairy Tales, Vol 1, 242.

A touching image of the ‘little sister’ embracing her youngest brother in his new form as a swan. The sinuous line of the bird’s wing is taken up and repeated throughout the design. In part figurative and in part decorative, the illustration exemplifies Gaskin’s interpretation of Pre-Raphaelite and Arts and Crafts conventions.

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Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke.

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