ALICE THROUGH the AGES

The first published edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was accompanied by illustrations by John Tenniel, and they remain some of the most iconic still today. In 1907, the copyright on Alice expired, and a rush of new artists published their own versions of the story. Here are just a few of the memorable ones:

1907: Arthur Rackham, prolific illustrator of children’s fairy tales, breathed new life into Wonderland with artwork that skewed slightly more realistic than Tenniel’s.

1916: Margaret Winifred Tarrant combined modern and classic influences, turning Wonderland into a pastoral dreamscape.

1922: Gertrude Kay depicts a version of Alice in white tights and rosy cheeks, reminding readers how young their intrepid heroine is supposed to be.

1929: Alice becomes a bobbed-haired flapper as Hungarian illustrator Willy Pogany brings her into the Jazz Age.

1945: A. A. Nash’s wholesome version of Alice would not be out of place in a Fun with Dick and Jane book.

1969: Surrealist painter Salvador Dali created his own trippy, vibrant world that would be only faintly familiar to even the most diehard

Alice fans.

1988: Canadian printmaker George Walker created stark images of Alice and her cohorts from detailed wood cutouts.

1999: Helen Oxenbury’s adaptation won her the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal for children’s book illustration, the second for the English writer.

2003: Robert Sabuda adds Carroll’s book to his repertoire of immersive and impressive pop-up books, giving readers the opportunity to experience Wonderland in 3D alongside Alice. Illustrator George Walker will be giving a lecture, “Illustrating Alice,” on Thursday October 8 at p.m. at the Lillian H. Smith Library in Toronto, 239 College Street, Toronto. See different versions of this Alice in person at “Thus Grew the Tale of Wonderland: Alice Turns 150” exhibit on until December 5, 2015, presented by Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books at Lillian H. Smith Library in Toronto.