Beautiful Blonde FAIRY w Little Girl, Charles ROBINSON

William Heath Robinson was born into an artistic family in Stroud Green, North London, in 1872. His father, uncle and grandfather were illustrators and engravers of wooden block (which was the standard medium of graphical printing in those days). His grandfather engraved the work of illustrators for the burgeoning magazine and newspaper market of the mid 1800's. He had an imaginative and artistic mind, and set out to train as an artist like his two older brothers, Charles and Thomas. Talent ran deep in the family, and all three brothers were raised in an atmosphere that guided them towards their final profession.

Charles Robinson was born in 1870. It wasn't until he was 25 that Charles began to make professional sales. His first full book was Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses (1895) which he filled with over 100 pen & ink drawings.

Charles Robinson went on to illustrate several fairy tales and children's books throughout his career with some of his editions being highly prized by today's collectors. In 1899 the three brothers combined their efforts and styles on a version of Andersen's Fairy Tales. Charles' cover was an Art Nouveau design reminiscent of Bilibin or Margaret Armstrong. His fascination with cherubs and angels was to be life-long and he would incorporate them into hundreds of designs.

The Golden Age of Illustration (1880's to 1920's), was a period of unparalleled excellence in book and magazine illustration. In Europe, Golden Age artists were strongly influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites and by such design-oriented movements as the Arts and Crafts Movement, Art Nouveau, and Les Nabis.

Source Website: bpib.com & artcyclopedia.com