18 Facts About Arthur Rackham

Arthur Rackham is recognised as one of the leading figures during the Golden Age of British book illustration.

Arthur Rackham's work is noted for its robust pen and ink drawings, which were combined with the use of watercolour, a technique he developed due to his background as a journalistic illustrator.

Arthur Rackham was born at 210 South Lambeth Road, Vauxhall, London as one of 12 children.

Arthur Rackham won a gold medal at the Milan International Exhibition in 1906 and another one at the Barcelona International Exposition in 1912.

Arthur Rackham's works were included in numerous exhibitions, including one at the Louvre in Paris in 1914.

Arthur Rackham was a member of the Art Workers' Guild and was elected its Master in 1919.

Ten years later, Arthur Rackham died at home of cancer.

Arthur Rackham is widely regarded as one of the leading illustrators from the 'Golden Age' of British book illustration which roughly encompassed the years from 1890 until the end of the First World War.

Many of Arthur Rackham's books were produced in a de luxe limited edition, often vellum bound and usually signed, as well as a smaller, less ornately bound quarto 'trade' edition.

Arthur Rackham's works have become very popular since his death, both in North America and Britain.

Arthur Rackham's images have been widely used by the greeting card industry and many of his books are still in print or have been recently available in both paperback and hardback editions.

Arthur Rackham's illustrations were chiefly based on robust pen and India ink drawings.

Arthur Rackham gradually perfected his own uniquely expressive line from his background in journalistic illustration, paired with subtle use of watercolour, a technique which he was able to exploit due to technological developments in photographic reproduction.

For colour pictures, Arthur Rackham preferred the 3-colour process or trichromatic printing, which reproduced the delicate half-tones of photography through letterpress printing.

Arthur Rackham would begin painting by building up multiple thin washes of watercolour creating translucent tints.

Arthur Rackham would go on to expand the use of silhouette cuts in illustration work, particularly in the period after the First World War, as exemplified by his Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.

Arthur Rackham's work is often described as a fusion of a northern European 'Nordic' style strongly influenced by the Japanese woodblock tradition of the early 19th century.

Arthur Rackham liked the dark tone of Rackham's gritty realistic drawings and had decided to incorporate that into the film.