1883 Scarce Book - The FAIRIES – A Child’s Song by William Allingham Illustrated by E. Gertrude Thomson. 1stED.
(description)
Author : Written by William Allingham Illustrated by E. Gertrude Thomson.
Title : THE FAIRIES. A Child's Song.
Publisher : London, Thomas De La Rue., London, 1883.
Size : 8 "X 9.5 ".
Pages : 23 pages.
Binding : Attractive and good original softcover binding (overall scuffed and worn - as shown) in a protective removable mylar cover.
Content : Good content (some foxing and staining - as shown).
Illustrations : Wonderfully illustrated by Emily Gertrude Thomson.
Estimate : (USD 400 - USD 700)
The book : Scarce and Nice First edition of this book with the exquisite illustrations by Emily Gertrude Thomson. A rare find in any condition!
The author : William Allingham (19 March 1824 – 18 November 1889) was an Irish poet, diarist and editor. He wrote several volumes of lyric verse, and his poem 'The Faeries' was much anthologised; but he is better known for his posthumously published Diary, in which he records his lively encounters with Tennyson, Carlyle and other writers and artists.
The illustrator: Emily Gertrude Thomson (1850–1929) was a British artist and illustrator. She was the daughter of Alexander Thomson (1815–1895), a professor of Greek and Hebrew. She studied at Manchester School of Art and became a member of the Royal Miniature Society. In 1878 she was approached by Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) to illustrate some of his books, including Three Sunsets and Other Poems: she also designed the cover for The Nursery "Alice", and became a friend of Dodgson and wrote a short biographical memoir of him. After studying at the Manchester School of Art she attended the studio of Frederic Shields and they became lifelong friends. Emily also studied for some time at Messrs. Wedgwood’s works at Etruria in Staffordshire painting on china.
She exhibited in Manchester, Liverpool, Brussels and Canada, Manchester Art Gallery and the V&A own her works. At various points of her career she painted portraits, illustrated books and designed stained glass.