THE SILVER BIRCH TREE AND OTHER TALES

ALLEN, Daphne (illustrator); HART, Agnes:

Published by London: Brentano's Ltd., 1928

About this Item

First edition. Octavo. Publisher's original light-blue cloth with a vignette of a fairy and a lamb beneath a tree in silver to the upper board, and titles in silver to the upper board and spine, in dustwrapper. Illustrated with 4 full-page colour plates and numerous black and white head-pieces by Daphne Allen. A very good copy, the binding firm with a touch of cracking to the rear hinge. The contents with a contemporary owner's ink inscription to the front free endpaper, some occasional light foxing, a 1cm tear to the blank bottom margin of the contents page, and with one plate with a minor nick to the blank margin and standing very slightly proud of the textblock, are otherwise in very good order. Complete with the original dustwrapper, which has some chipping and loss to the spine ends and tips of the joints. Not price-clipped ("3/6 net" to the front flap). A scarce fairy story collection beautifully illustrated by the Edwardian child artist Daphne Allen (1899-1985), with tales including "The Celluloid Swan" and "The Dreamy Dragon". Born in Stamford Hill, London, Allen was taught painting from an early age by her father, the artist Hugh Allen (son of the publisher George Allen), and also took life-classes in Chelsea. She began showing her work at the age of 12, holding her first exhibitions at the Dudley Gallery, which coincided with the publication of her first two books, A Child's Visions (1912) and The Birth of the Opal (1913). She went on to exhibit with the Society of Women Artists, at the Burlington Gallery, St. Paul's Deanery, and the Drummond Gallery, also becoming a member of the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours and the Streatham Society. Focussing mainly on painting and drawing fairies and spiritual subjects, in addition to illustrating her own books, Allen also provided drawings for numerous other poetic and religious works of the period, had prints of her paintings published by the Medici Society, and worked for many magazines, including The Illustrated London News, The Sketch, and The Tatler. In 1919 Allen exhibited alongside the Glasgow School artist Annie French (1872-1965) at the Burlington Gallery, and it can certainly be observed that her aesthetic resembles that of French, and of contemporary Art Nouveau illustration more broadly; with her delicate line and ethereal atmosphere, The Graphic was as bold as to call Allen the "little girl who rivals William Blake". Seller Inventory # 1184

Bibliographic Details

Title: THE SILVER BIRCH TREE AND OTHER TALES

Publisher: London: Brentano's Ltd.

Publication Date: 1928

Binding: Hardcover

Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included

Edition: 1st Edition