Frank Cheyne Papé ~ The Story of the Little Merman ~ 1909

Enjoy these rare images by Frank Cheyne Papé (British, 1878-1972) for The Story of the Little Merman by Ethel Reader, published in 1909 by MacMillan & Co. Limited, London. There are two fairy tales illustrated in this book, The Story of the Little Merman, and The Story of the Queen of the Gnomes and the True Prince.

 Frank Cheyne Papé ~ The Story of the Little Merman ~ 1909

The Story of the Little Merman

The Little Merman swam to the shore, and, creeping
up the strand, lay on the yellow sands at her feet.

Frank Cheyne Papé ~ The Story of the Little Merman ~ 1909

The Story of the Little Merman

"It's very sharp," he said. "Are you ready?"
"Yes," answered the Little Merman,
and he shut his eyes.

Frank Cheyne Papé ~ The Story of the Little Merman ~ 1909

The Story of the Little Merman

Frank Cheyne Papé ~ The Little Merman ~ 1909

The Story of the Little Merman

Frank Cheyne Papé ~ The Little Merman ~ 1909

The Story of the Queen of the Gnomes and the True Prince

She looked the ugliest of the little men 
straight in the face, and she tossed back her head 
and folded her arms, just like the pictures 
of Napoleon at St. Helena.

Frank Cheyne Papé ~ The Little Merman ~ 1909

The Story of the Queen of the Gnomes and the True Prince

Frank Cheyne Papé ~ The Little Merman ~ 1909

The Story of the Queen of the Gnomes and the True Prince

Something in the Witch's face had already told him 
that she was not a nice person to ask favours of.

Frank Cheyne Papé ~ The Little Merman ~ 1909

The Story of the Queen of the Gnomes and the True Prince

"Oh, Goblin," she cried, "where are you? 
What has happened. Is it you?"

From the captions provided at an auction site for some of the illustrations, the stories seem creatively and compellingly written. I enjoy the first and the last illustration the best, as well as the illustration of the Queen of the Gnomes with her arms folded. The second illustration is painful to contemplate. Which illustration is your favorite?



Text © 2016 Art of Narrative