WIZARD OZ SCARECROW LION TIN MAN DOROTHY POSTER 1532

This beautiful Denslow illustration captures the moment when Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Lion discover the identity of the “Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz”. The Wizard reveals he is a human who used to live in Omaha—accidentally brought here by a balloon that floated away at a carnival. All of the travelers are wearing the green spectacles that are required in Emerald City. Denslow used various shades of green (remember this is Emerald City) to color most of this image. The exceptions are Toto (frequently played on stage and screen by a Cairn terrier) and the Lion who are in shades of brown and orange. The Wizard nervously rubs his hands while the others fret because they now know he will be unable to keep his promises made conditional on the destruction of the Wicked Witch. The events depicted in this frame are in chapter fifteen of the original book. Here is how L. Frank Baum described them in the original book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

The Lion thought it might be as well to frighten the Wizard, so he gave a large, loud roar, which was so fierce and dreadful that Toto jumped away from him in alarm and tipped over the screen that stood in a corner. As it fell with a crash, they looked that way, and the next moment all of them were filled with wonder. For they saw, standing in just the spot the screen had hidden, a little old man, with a bald head and a wrinkled face, who seemed to be as much surprised as they were. The Tin Woodman, raising his axe, rushed toward the little man and cried out, "Who are you?"

"I am Oz, the Great and Terrible," said the little man, in a trembling voice. "But don't strike me--please don't--and I'll do anything you want me to."

Our friends looked at him in surprise and dismay.

"I thought Oz was a great Head," said Dorothy.

"And I thought Oz was a lovely Lady”, said the Scarecrow.

"And I thought Oz was a terrible Beast”, said the Tin Woodman.

"And I thought Oz was a Ball of Fire”, exclaimed the Lion.

"No, you are all wrong," said the little man meekly. "I have been making believe."

"Making believe!" cried Dorothy. "Are you not a Great Wizard?"

"Hush, my dear," he said. "Don't speak so loud, or you will be overheard--and I should be ruined. I'm supposed to be a Great Wizard."

"And aren't you?" she asked.

"Not a bit of it, my dear; I'm just a common man."

"You're more than that," said the Scarecrow, in a grieved tone; "you're a humbug."

"Exactly so!" declared the little man, rubbing his hands together as if it pleased him. "I am a humbug."

Excerpt quoted from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, Published by Geo. M Hill Co., Chicago, IL, 1900

ARTIST: W. (William) W. (Wallace) Denslow.

ARTIST SYMBOL: Each illustration has the well-known Denslow symbol of a cartoon seahorse with the letters “Den.,” (see side illustration) on some portion of the image. W. W. Denslow loved seahorses. He produced cast iron decorative pieces while he was a member of the Roycrofters, an art and crafts community in New York State.

IMPORTANT NOTE: W.W. Denslow created these illustrations as black and white drawings. The color was added only during the actual printing process of the original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which Denslow and Baum supervised. As a result, the colors are concentrated in large areas with a primary color theme relating to the area of Oz the characters were in. Blue was for Munchkinland. Green was for Emerald City. Yellow was for Winkie country. Red was for Quadling country.

You should also note that each original colored illustration in the book had a line from the book as a caption. However, since these captions were faded, stained or damaged, they were removed so the total focus could be on preserving the size and shape of the image.

HOME DECOR: This charming print will make a great wall decoration for a variety of purposes but especially for a child’s bedroom, play room or a family game room.

PAPER QUALITY: This new print is on a highest quality, acid-free, 100-pound glossy premium text paper that allows for maximum color brilliance and fidelity for older images. For an expanded explanation of our Paper Quality, go to our FAQ by Clicking Here.

Image Size: 10.5 inches wide by 14.5 inches high. For an expanded explanation of Image Size, go to our FAQ by Clicking Here.

Paper Size: 11 inches wide by 17 inches high. This allows for a small border around the image for matting and framing. For an expanded explanation of Paper Size, go to our FAQ by Clicking Here.

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