Case 1

The Earliest German Editions

• Kinder- und Hausmärchen. Gesammelt durch die Brüder Grimm. Vergrösserter Nachdruck der zweibändigen Erstausgabe von 1812 und 1815 … 2 volumes. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1996.
• Kinder- und Hausmärchen. Gesammelt durch die Brüder Grimm. Zweite vermehrte und verbesserte Auflage. 3 volumes. Berlin: G. Reimer, 1819–1822.

The first illustration of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm’s Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children’s and Household Tales) was made by their younger brother, Ludwig Emil Grimm (1790–1863), whose illus-tration of “Little Brother and Little Sister” served as a frontispiece for the first volume of the tales beginning with the second German edition (1819–1822). The unillustrated first edition (1812–1815), displayed here in facsimile, has a decidedly scholarly bent. With the second edition, the Grimms attempted to broaden the appeal of their collection. Grimm’s illustration, together with his portrait of one of his brothers’ key informants, Dorothea Viehmann, for the frontispiece of the second volume, invite readers to immerse themselves in the German folktale tradition. Recently acquired by the Vassar Library, the second edition is a cornerstone of this exhibit. Making this copy even more noteworthy is the fact that it belonged to Maurice Sendak, one of the premier illustrators of Grimms’ tales of our time.

Case 2

Early English Editions

• German Popular Stories, translated from the Kinder- und Haus-märchen, collected by M.M. Grimm, from Oral Tradition. 2 volumes. London: C. Baldwyn, 1823, 1826.

German Popular Stories (1823/1826) was the earliest English edition of the Grimms’ tales and the first to achieve widespread popularity. It was a collaboration between the translator, Edgar Taylor (1793–1839), and the illustrator, George Cruikshank (1792–1878), who today is known especially for his illustrations of the works of Charles Dickens. The book emphasized humor and familiarity to entertain middle-class readers. Displayed are the title page of the first volume (1823) together with an illustra-tion from the second volume (1826) depicting Ludwig Tieck’s “The Elfin Grove,” one of four tales in the collection not sourced from the Grimms. It distinctly reflects Cruikshank’s interest in Romantic period elements like wonder and the natural world. Drawing a sharp contrast between the fantastical elfin world—full of light and motion—and the dark, stable real world fram-ing it, Cruikshank invites the viewer into the tale’s realm. The girl, peeking into the elfin world from reality, is the viewer’s substitute.

Case 3

Founding Fathers: Illustrating Grimms in the Gründerzeit

• Kinder-Märchen. Gesammelt durch die Brüder Grimm. Wohlfeile Ausgabe. Stuttgart: Verlag von Wilh. Effenberger, [1890?]
• Kinder- und Hausmärchen. Gesammelt durch die Brüder Grimm. Herausgegeben von Herman Grimm. Kleine Ausgabe. Gü-tersloh: Verlag von C. Bertelsmann, 1891.

In 1871, Germany became a unified nation, which created a search for a distinct national identity. This period of unification is known as the Gründerzeit, or “founding period.” These Grün-derzeit editions of the Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children’s and Household Tales) reflect the period’s advancements in printing technology and increased literacy rates. Since more Germans could read, publishers employed cheaper printing techniques to make the tales available for wider audiences. While the more expensive 1891 edition features colorful, full-page illustrations, like the selected illustration of “Little Brother and Little Sister,” the 1890 edition features black-and-white illustrations to reduce printing costs. The publisher of the 1890 edition further econ-omizes by placing the images between text, like the illustration of “The Poor Man and the Rich Man.” Since both wealthy and working-class Germans could afford a copy of the Kinder- und Hausmärchen, these Gründerzeit editions helped foster a sense of German identity across class lines.

Case 4

Walter Crane: The Arts and Crafts Movement

• Household Stories, from the Collection of the Bros. Grimm. Translated from the German by Lucy Crane, and Done into Pictures by Walter Crane. London: Macmillan & Co., 1882.

Richly illustrated by English artist and socialist Walter Crane (1845–1915), these editions are characteristic of the Arts and Crafts movement of the late nineteenth century, which promoted traditional craftsmanship as a reaction against industrialization. Image is interwoven with text throughout the editions, and head-pieces, tailpieces, and historiated initials evoke Medieval and Renaissance manuscript decoration. The title page displays text incorporated into the picture, with the “H” functioning as a piece of the house’s architecture. The women in Crane’s illustrations typify alluring and passive femininity, while the men embody sta-ble heroism. In this frontispiece illustration of “Sleeping Beauty,” the flowers around the frieze serve as a metaphor for Rosamond, a figure ready to bloom and emerge from her slumbering state. Similarly, in the full-page illustration of “Rapunzel,” four doves hovering around the maiden’s tower are arranged to mirror the position of her body, effecting symmetry but also relating the birds to Rapunzel.

Case 5

The Grimms Meet Jugendstil

• Kinder- und Hausmärchen nach Sammlung der Brüder Grimm. Texte gesichtet von Hans Fraungruber. Bilder von Ign. Tasch-ner. 4 volumes. Vienna: Verlag von Martin Gerlach & Co., [1901?–1903?]

These decorations and illustrations are of the Jugendstil (“youth style”) movement, popular from the late 19th century through the early 20th century. Referred to as playful, colorful, and expressive, this German and Austrian style closely resembles the English Art Nouveau movement. It also aimed to increase support for children’s exposure to the arts. Each volume in this four-volume set was illustrated by a different artist. Their illustrations interact with the text in dynamic ways, creating a cohesive relationship between story and illustration. The selected image from the story “Iron John” is by the German artist Ignaz Taschner (1871–1913). His positioning of the characters toward the right side of the frame evokes movement and creates a sense of adventure, while the characters’ physical contact denotes their amicable relation-ship. Additionally, the colors used by him prompt the viewer to consider which elements of the image are related.

Case 6

Arthur Rackham and the Golden Age of Book Illustration

• Little Brother & Little Sister, and Other Tales by the Brothers Grimm. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. London: Constable & Co., 1917.

Arthur Rackham (1867–1939) was one of the most famous En-glish illustrators of the Golden Age of Book Illustration, which was a prolific period of illustrated book creation that lasted roughly from 1860 to 1930. This illustration is from the Grimms’ tale “The Old Woman in the Wood.” In this scene, a prince trans-forms from a tree and embraces the maiden who freed him from his curse. The story says nothing of the maiden’s reaction, only that they marry and live happily ever after, which gives a positive feeling to the moment. However, in the illustration, notice that the maiden appears conflicted, or even frightened. Her shoulders are pointing forward, her knee seems to be bent as if ready to move away, and she is not embracing his grasped hand. She is also cornered by the much larger figure. This is one example of the Gothic quality of Rackham’s work and its influence in our reading of fairy tales.

Case 7

The Golden Age, Continued: Kay Nielsen

• Hansel and Gretel and other stories by the brothers Grimm. Illustrated by Kay Nielsen. London: Hodder & Stoughton, [1925?]

This illustration by Danish artist Kay Nielsen (1886–1957) of the Brothers Grimm’s “Hansel and Gretel” reveals his unique style, and both Art Nouveau and Art Deco influences. The children, small and barefoot, stand before the witch’s candy-colored cottage nestled in a dense, stylized forest. Twisting trees and patterned foliage frame the scene, emphasizing both the wonder and dark-ness of the tale. Nielsen’s use of flowing lines, ornamental detail, and organic motifs reflects the Art Nouveau style of achieving harmony between nature and design. The soft palette of greens, grays, and golds contrasts innocence and danger, while the curl-ing smoke and intricate border draw the viewer to a dreamlike world. Like much of Nielsen’s work, this image blends beauty and narrative tension, capturing the enchanting yet foreboding atmosphere at the heart of the Grimm story.

Case 8

English-language Editions During WWII

• Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Complete edition. With 212 illustrations by Josef Scharl. New York: Pantheon, 1944.
• Grimm’s Fairy Tales, by the Brothers Grimm. Translated by Mrs.
• E.V. Lucas, Lucy Crane, and Marian Edwardes. Illustrated by Fritz Kredel. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, [1945].

These two English language editions of Grimm’s Fairy Tales were illustrated by two different German artists; Josef Scharl (1896-1954), and Fritz Kredel (1900–1973). Exiled prior to wwii, their art is shaped by Nazi persecution. Scharl, an Expressionist whose art was deemed “degenerate,” illustrates the tales with a haunting darkness, depicting the psychological complexity of the tales through distorted and grotesque figures that oppose Nazi artistic ideals of purity and beauty. Kredel, trained in traditional craft and woodcuts, instead responded to Nazi persecution with a contrasting warmth. His illustrations, marked by a particular childlike joviality, reclaim these tales from the grasp of Nazi antisemitic propaganda. Together, these works act as quiet acts of resistance, reclaiming the tales from the grasp of National So-cialism, and reasserting the emotional reality and humanity that had been stripped by the Nazis.

Case 9

Snow White After Disney

• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a tale from the Brothers Grimm translated by Randall Jarrell. Pictures by Nancy Ekholm Bur-kert. New York: Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, 1972.
• Snow White, by the Brothers Grimm. Freely translated from the German by Paul Heins. With illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman. Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1974.

Whereas the Disney Studio animation highlighted the Evil Queen’s ugliness, Nancy Ekholm Burkert (b. 1933) and Trina Schart Hyman (1939–2004) take a different, and potentially scarier, approach. They render the villain as someone beautiful, yet unreachable, sinister, and cold. As readers watch the Evil Queen prepare the poison apple to kill the heroine, we know what will happen next. Yet, Burkert and Hyman heighten the emotional tension just before the climax through their artistic choices. Burkert does not allow us to see the Queen’s face. We cannot plead with her; we cannot even know her. Nevertheless, her surroundings reflect her malevolence. Hyman shows us a con-templative, determined Queen, who is set upon eliminating the threat to her beauty; the mirror even reflects a frightened Snow White. Burkert and Hyman prove the Evil Queen is more than a caricature of evil and ugliness. She is a complex antagonist, and it is her actions and interiority that make her scary.

Case 10

Maurice Sendak

• The Juniper Tree, and Other Tales from Grimm. Selected by Lore Segal and Maurice Sendak. Translated by Lore Segal, with four tales translated by Randall Jarrell. Pictures by Maurice
• Sendak. Two volumes. New York: Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, 1973.
• Grimm, Wilhelm. Dear Mili, an Old Tale by Wilhem Grimm newly translated by Ralph Manheim, with pictures by Maurice Sendak. Published by Michael de Capua Books. New York: Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, 1988.

Maurice Sendak (1928–2012) made these illustrations for his and Lore Segal’s collection of Grimms’ tales, The Juniper Tree (1973), and for Dear Mili (1988), a picture-book of a tale by Wilhelm Grimm. Sendak’s signature two-dimensional, dark, whimsical style is present in the illustration of “The Juniper Tree,” which depicts a gruesome scene from the tale, involving a young girl caring for the bones of her step-brother, who was killed by their mother and eaten by their father, and who takes the form of a majestic bird. The illustration from Dear Mili depicts another young girl approaching the hut of Saint Joseph after being in-structed by her mother to hide away in the forest during a war. Unlike the pictures in The Juniper Tree, this illustration is colorful and three-dimensional. As a Jewish artist, Sendak struggled to reconcile his love for the Brothers Grimm with the antisemitism that some of their tales perpetuate.

Case 11

Contemporary Editions i: Natalie Frank

• Tales of the Brothers Grimm. Drawings by Natalie Frank. Bologna: Damiani, 2015.

Natalie Frank (b. 1980) is an artist known for her immersive, sur-realist paintings and her prevalent motifs of modern womanhood and femininity. In Tales of the Brothers Grimm, Frank illustrates thirty-six specifically lesser-known and unsanitized Grimm fairy-tales in an effort to re-interpret the traditional stories as narratives with complex female protagonists. In The Six Swans, a Queen is forced into six years of silence as she sews six shirts in order to reverse the curse that has turned her brothers into swans. Her mother-in-law takes advantage of her silence to frame her for can-nibalizing her children, in an effort to get her executed. Smeared with blood, the Queen lies in silence, unable to defend herself or seek help for her children. The disembodied head of her mother-in-law looms above. Her children and brothers swarm the top of the image. She stares out at the audience, daring us to disengage.

Case 12

Contemporary Editions II: Barbara Beisinghoff and the Artist Book

• Beisinghoff, Barbara. Die Wilden Schwäne: Brenessel Märchen. Dreieich: Barbara Beisinghoff, 2001.

Die Wilden Schwäne is an artist’s book retelling of the Brothers Grimm’s “The Six Swans” and Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Wild Swans,” tales depicting a princess’s quest to break the curse that has transformed her brothers into swans. The first illustra-tion depicts the moment the witch’s spell takes effect, sealing the princes’ fate, and turning them into swans. The second image portrays the princess as she, under a vow of silence, weaves magic shirts of stinging nettles to save her brothers. Barbara Beisingoff (b. 1945) makes every aspect of the book itself a part of the story, including all interactive elements such as the binding, paper, text, images, and layout. In particular, the paper of Die Wilden Schwäne is made of nettles, harvested by hand from Beisinghoff ’s home country of Germany. The illustrations, meanwhile, are a com-bination of etching, embossing, silkscreen, and watermarking techniques.