W.W. Denslow and John Tenniel illustrated two of the most iconic books of all time. These books have been adapted into movies and various plays, and the well-known characters have been remade several times. So, what books did they illustrate? Look at the images below to see if you can guess!
Click on the images to enlarge them and learn more about the work of these illustrators.
These illustrators were tasked with a bigger job than simply creating new characters; they also had to create an entire imaginary world and imaginary creatures that didn’t exist (such as Munchkins and a Cheshire Cat). Each illustrator had to work closely with the book’s author to make sure that the illustrations stayed true to the author’s original vision. These beloved characters have been remade many times. Click through this slideshow to see some of the original characters and the remakes created by later artists.
Originally, all of the animals in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland were very realistic, except that they wore clothing. In fact, they were similar in style to Beatrix Potter’s characters, but Tenniel’s illustrations weren’t as soft as Potter’s. The contemporary rendition of the White Rabbit is cuter, brighter, and simpler than the original. Advances in printing technology allow for brighter colors, and the simplified style appeals to today’s children.
The Mad Hatter may be one of Tenniel’s best creations. Even without color, Tenniel’s Hatter looks a little insane. He is larger than life with his oversized head, dramatic gestures, and gaping mouth. In the modern rendition, the addition of color expands on Tenniel’s design and adds a little more life. Charles Robinson stays true to the original design but expands on it by making the Hatter’s hat upside down and giving him oversized clothing instead of an oversized head.
Alice may be the character who has changed the most. In the original story, she is seven years old, and Tenniel’s illustrations stay true to this. Later renditions show Alice a little older, and her appearance changes. Sometimes she is blonde with long hair and a blue dress, other times she is a short-haired brunette. The image of Alice that most people probably think of comes from Disney’s rendition from the 1951 film.
In the original illustrations by Denslow, the characters from The Wizard of Oz are very fun to look at. They are cartoonish (as opposed to Tenniel’s realistic illustrations), and portions of them are very exaggerated. The only character who looks as she would in the real world is Dorothy. The Lion has an oversized head and wears glasses, and the Tinman and Scarecrow are both very awkward looking, which suggests how they would move in real life.
The characters of Oz look a little different today, but the essence of the original illustrations can still be seen. The Tinman and Scarecrow look very similar to the originals, but the Lion and Dorothy changed quite a bit. In the stories today, the Lion looks very realistic. He is not exaggerated at all. Dorothy, like Alice, has aged in comparison to the original drawings. This may be because a 16-year-old actress played her in the wildly popular film from 1939, and that is the image that sticks in popular culture.
Well-designed characters tend to get remade and re-imagined over and over again. Think about all of the different versions you have seen of the characters from Wonderland and Oz. How would you re-imagine these characters? Would you change them a lot, or would you keep them mostly the same? What details need to be kept so that viewers know they are looking at an illustration of that character? Choose one character and answer these questions about them in your sketchbook.
