Artist Biographies

SIR JOHN TENNIEL (1820 - 1914)

In 1865, Charles Lulwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, wrote "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Accompanying the prose were twenty-six black-and-white illustrations created by Sir John Tenniel, the then renowned political cartoonist for the satirical British magazine, Punch. The abridged, but colored, edition of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" was published in 1890 and contained twenty color plates by Tenniel.

Tenniel first made a name for himself as an illustrator of the 1848 edition of "Aesop's Fables." This acclaim brought him to the attention of Punch magazine where he was hired as second cartoonist in 1851. He was promoted to principal cartoonist in 1864.

Tenniel was a superb illustrator of creatures of whimsy and fantasy. He refused to use live models or draw from nature saying that he had "a wonderful memory of observation." It is said that Tenniel somewhat resembled his own drawing of the White Knight of "Alice" fame.

BIRTHPLACE: London, England EDUCATION: RA Schools

Clipstone Street Life Academy

Copyright (c) 1997 Bruce McGaw Graphics. All rights reserved.