In Fairyland. Fairies, Hummingbird, Hercules Beetle by moonlight. c1905

by Evans, Edmund

Pair of antique prints of Fairies in Moonlight. The Fairy Queen's Messenger on a Hercules Beetle, and A Messenger by Moonlight, Fairy on a Hummingbird.

Delightfully fanciful fairies, illustrating Richard Doyle's imaginative stories. Original colour-printed wood engraving by Edmund Evans to illustrate Richard Doyle's In Fairyland publilshed in London c1905.

Edmund Evans (1826-1905) was one of the finest colour-printers from around 1860 in London and was highly regarded as an illustrator of children's toy books, picture books and book covers. His particular skill was in the mixing of colours for the print impressions - rather than just printing successive layers of individual colour.

This pair of small engravings is from a full page. Image sizes are around 80 x 110 mm (3 1/8 x 4 1/4 inches) and 110 x 125mm (4 1/4 x 5  inches). The upper image is slightly soiled and has a faint crease