THE ART OF WALTER CRANE This Edition , on Arnold's Handmade Paper, consists o f ioo copies, o f which this is NoX^L. CHISWICK PRESS : CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO. TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON. PREFACE I N dealing with the work of a living artist the writer is exposed to the dangerous temptation of being carried away by his admiration for the genius to which the world is indebted for so many admirable works, and of closing his eyes to the faults and mannerisms which some­ times mar the beauty of even the most inspired of art productions. The result is that such books usually become worthless as art criticism and degenerate into mere apprecia­ tions, especially when the writer—as in the present case—is indebted to the subject of his book for his valuable assistance, which alone has enabled him to colleCt the material and the faCts necessary for the accomplishment of his task. In the present volume the author has endeavoured to avoid this dangerous pitfall, to keep an unbiassed mind, and to temper his genuine admiration for the master with an alloy of perhaps unnecessarily severe criticism. He feels the more justified in this method of proceeding, as most of the master’s faults have their mainspring in, and are indeed the unavoid­ able outcome of, his most characteristic merits. It might, perhaps, be said that it is a little premature to publish a book of this nature, whilst its subjeCt is in the prime of life and may reasonably be expeCted to enrich the world with many more works of unfailing charm and beauty. The answer to such an objection can only be, that Walter Crane’s mission is accomplished; that his place in the history of art is definitely fixed and cannot be much affeCted by anything he may create in the future. His greatness lies not so much in his artistic achievements as in his influence—and this influence has become a historical faCt. An attempt has been made in this volume to trace the growth of Walter Crane’s art from his earliest years, from the days of his infancy in fad, since a feeling for beauty and the desire for artistic expression appear to have dawned upon him with the very awakening of intelligence. Every phase of his many-sided adivity has been referred to and fully illustrated. The kindness of the artist has enabled the author to include among the illustrations a number of early pidures, water­ colour drawings, and studies which have never been published before and are of peculiar interest in so far as they illustrate a comparatively little known phase of Walter Crane’s artistic adivity. A number of hitherto unpublished notes from the artist’s sketch-books which accompanied him on his travels across Europe and the United States, and were originally only intended for the amusement of an intimate circle, will serve to show his keen sense of humour and quaint imagina­ tiveness. The thanks of the author and publishers are due to Mr. Edmund Evans, Messrs. Cassell and Co., Messrs. McCaw, Stevenson and Orr, Mr. George Allen, Messrs. Macmillan and Co., Messrs. Harper and Bros., Mr. David Nutt, and the Trustees of the Kelmscott Press, for permission to use illustra­ tions from books of which they own the copyrights ; to Messrs. Jeffrey and Co. for the use of the wall-papers ; and especially to Mr. Walter Crane for permission to photograph and re­ produce numerous unpublished paintings and sketches, and for assistance generously given in other ways. P. G. K. NOTE I D ESIR E to state that Mr. Konody’s book upon my work has been arranged, written, and completed without my having any knowledge of its literary contents, or of the opinions expressed. It will be understood, therefore, that though I have helped in the supply of information and illustrations and designed the cover, I am in no way responsible for the arrangement of the book, and neither sanction nor approval of its contents is implied on my part. WALTER CRANE. A ugust 13th, 1902. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. A rt and S o c ia l is m ............................................................ i II. T he Making of the A r t i s t ....................................................13 I I I . A rt for the N u r s e r y ..............................................................29 IV. Book Illustrations....................................................................... 49 V. W alter C rane the P a i n t e r ...................................................87 V I. T heory and P r a c t i c e ........................................................... 107 V II. W alter Crane the Craftsman . 115 V III. T he H arvest of H o n o u r s ................................................ 123 APPENDIX I. L ist of W alter C rane’s E xhibited P ictures . 133 II. L ist of Books I llustrated or W ritten by W alter Cr a n e ................................................................................141 Index . ...................................................145 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PHOTOGRAVURE PLATES TO FACE PAGE T he Bridge of L i f e ........................................ frontispiece (B y permission o f Herr E rnst Seeger.) ENGLAND’S E mblem. (By permission o f Herr E rnst Seeger!) . 18 A lmond T rees on M onte P incio, R ome .... 26 T he C hariots OF THE H ours. (B y permission o f Herr E rn st Seeger!) 70 T he T riumph of L a b o u r ............................................ 86 N eptune’s H orses. (B y permission o f Herr E rn st Seeger!) . 9 2 T he M o w e r ......................................................................... 104 A t H o m e ......................................................................... 128 COLOURED PLATES L ittle R ed R iding H o o d .............................................1 Beauty and the Be a s t ........................................... 28 T he Y ellow D w a r f .....................................................30 T he F orty T h i e v e s ................................................ 3 0 K ing L uckieboy’s P a r t y ...........................................38 T he F airy S h i p ...............................................................38 T he Baby’s Bo u q u e t .....................................................44 T he Baby’s O wn Æ s o p ........................................... 44 (By permission of Mr. Edmund Evans and Mr. Walter Crane!) P othooks and P erseverance (title-page) 48 L ittle Q ueen A nne (two p a g e s ).................................48 E choes of H ellas (cover and two pages) 56 (By permission of Messrs. McCaw, Stevenson and Orr and Mr. Walter Crane!) F lora’s F east (four p a g e s ) ...........................................60 T he M asque of D ays (two p ag es) ....................... 64 Q ueen S ummer (two pages) . 6 4 (By permission of Messrs. Cassell and Co. and Mr. Walter Crane!) The “F ig and P eacock” W all-paper . 1 1 8 T he “ R ose Bu s h ” W all-paper and “ L io n ” F r ie z e . 120. (By permission of Messrs. Jeffrey and Co. and Mr. Walter Crane!) OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS P A IN T IN G S TO FACE PAGE P ortrait of the A rtist at the A ge of T hree. By Thom as C r a n e ............................................................ 14 S ta. F rancesca R om an a ........................................................................ 26 R ome from M onte P a r io l i........................................................................ 26 P ortrait of the A rtist’s W ife . 88 P ortrait of a L a d y .................................................................................. 88 S orrow and S pring . ...............................................90 I n the G arden at Carisbrook ...... 90 P an P i p e s ..................................................................................................... 9 2 W ater-C olour S ketch of an I talian G reyhound . 92 P ortrait of the A rtist’s D a u g h t e r .................................................... 94 M other and C h i l d .................................................................................. 94 A H erald of S p r i n g ...................................................................................94 V illa L udovici, R o m e ...................................................................................94 S anta Barbara ............................................................................................. 94 T he R oll OF F ate. {By permission of Mr. Somerset Beaumont?) . 96 T ruth AND THE T raveller. {By permission o f Herr E rnst Seeger.) 96 A mor V incit O m n i a ...................................................................................98 EUROPA. {By permission o f Herr E rnst Seeger.) . • • 98 A S t r a n g e r .....................................................................................................102 T he W orld’s C o n q u e r o r s .......................................................................102 T he F ountain of Y o u t h ...................................................................... 104 A S tudy at H a r l e c h .................................................................................106 WALL-PAPER DESIGNS {By permission of Messrs. Jeffrey and Co. and Mr. Walter Crane.) “T he H ouse that J ack bu ilt” W all-paper . 116 “N ursery R hymes” W all-paper (two designs) . 116 T he “ A lcestis” and the “ M ay-t r e e ” F riezes. 118 T he “ L il y ” D ado and the “ D ay L il y ” W all-paper . 118 T he “ P eacock G arden’’ and the “ M eadow” W all-papers 118 T he “ V in e ” and the “ P alm L e a f” Ceiling P apers . 118 T he “ S leeping Beauty” and the “ M arguerite” W all­ papers ...........................................................................................118