No Flappers in Wonderland? Illustrating Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in the 1920s

Abstract

The social and economic context of the post-war period of the 1920s had a reinvigorating effect on children’s literature, the fairy tale, and fantasy genres. Moving beyond their characteristic didactic and moral functions, these narratives began to be seen as safe places in which one could escape from reality and seek refuge in a world of adventure. Illustrations had a significant role in the new development of these genres, stimulating the imagination and helping to create fantastical realms for readers. Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) had already served that purpose in the Victorian era, and editions and versions of the work for a new 1920s generation would present re-interpreted illustrations, ones which were rendered more appropriate for the new context and which reflected some avant-garde tendencies, whilst not overlooking the essence of the original.