Nellie Syrett ~ The Other Side of the Sun ~ 1900



Nellie Syrett ~ Detail ~ 1900

The Kite That Went to the Moon

The Other Side of the Sun: Fairy Stories by Evelyn Sharp

London: Bodley Head

I find these illustrations by Nellie Syrett to be both fascinating and lifeless. Technically, they are well composed and aesthetically pleasing, but the figures are as charming and cold as a china doll. Though they are dimensional and solid, there is nothing much behind the blank expressions. The little fairy girl in the detail above is the exception. However, I really enjoy these illustrations, in part for the delicate range of the colors, the design aspects, the "silk-like" texture of the images, and the otherworldly effect.

Nellie Syrett ~ 1900

Frontispiece

The Other Side of the Sun: Fairy Stories by Evelyn Sharp

London: Bodley Head

Nellie Syrett ~ 1900

The Magician's Tea Party

The Other Side of the Sun: Fairy Stories by Evelyn Sharp

London: Bodley Head

Nellie Syrett ~ 1900

Somebody Else's Prince

The Other Side of the Sun: Fairy Stories by Evelyn Sharp

London: Bodley Head

Nellie Syrett ~ 1900

Somebody Else's Prince

The Other Side of the Sun: Fairy Stories by Evelyn Sharp

London: Bodley Head

Nellie Syrett ~ 1900

The Kite that Went to the Moon

The Other Side of the Sun: Fairy Stories by Evelyn Sharp

London: Bodley Head

Click each image above for great detail.

Click The Other Side of the Sun to see the illustrations in their original context, and to read the fairy stories dedicated by Evelyn Sharp to "all the children I know on this side of the sun."

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Nellie Syrett, and her sister, Netta Syrett, were associated with Aubrey Beardsley, and The Yellow Book. Netta was a prolific writer. Nellie illustrated two of Netta's fairy stories for children. She contributed an illustration to The Yellow Book July 1896 issue, and designed The Yellow Book October 1896 cover. I will be featuring more of her work in a later post.

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Helen Stratton ~ The Lily of Life ~ 1913

Helen Stratton ~ The Lily of Life

London: Hodder and Stoughton ~ 1913

The Lily of Life, by Marie, Crown Princess of Roumania, was published in 1913 by Hodder and Stoughton. Queen Marie was a prolific writer. She wrote several famous works, including The Dreamer of Dreams and The Stealers of Light, both illustrated by Edmund Dulac. Little has been written about Helen Stratton. One source lists her birth year as approximately 1867, and her date of death as June 4, 1961, at the age of 95, and a kind reader has helped to verify that information (see comments below this post). I love her illustrations for The Lily of Life, and I will be seeking out more of her work to share.

The Lily of Life is the story of two good sisters who fall in love with the same man, Prince Ilario, who then becomes ill. I skimmed the story and read bits and pieces of the narrative through to the end. There are parallels, it seems, between this work, written years before it, and The Lord of the Rings, in this sense: Corona must cross a bog filled with death and evil things, climb stone steps to reach the top of a treacherous cliff, and plunge into dangerous depths, in her quest to find a cure. Corona has a faithful servant who loves her. He follows after her into the sea, and she fears he will drown. After he clambers into her boat, later, she leaves him behind, because she must complete her quest alone, and in silence.


Click each image for great detail.

Helen Stratton ~ The Lily of Life

London: Hodder and Stoughton ~ 1913

Frontispiece

Helen Stratton ~ The Lily of Life

London: Hodder and Stoughton ~ 1913

Title Page

But why, at the end of the quest, when all has been set to selfless rights, and Prince Ilario has recovered from his illness, and Ilario and Corona's sister, Mora, have wed, must the heroine die? Why cannot Corona, who suffered so much, and exhibited so much courage, not find the strength to live? Even in 1913, must she literally die of a broken heart?

If you read the text, you will appreciate Helen Stratton's illustrations all the more. She captures the descriptions of the characters, the settings, and the actions with accuracy; and yet, a beautiful subtlety, choosing details that will illuminate, rather than sensationalize, the grimmer aspects of the story.

Click the title, The Lily of Life, to view the illustrations in their original context and to read the story.

Please leave your comments. I'd love to know what you think.



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