Paddington Reads Grimm's Fairy Tales Illustrated by Harry George Theaker

            "Hullo there. I have something very special to share with you today. If you have looked at the photos from Daddy's Flickr photostream prior to these photos of me, you will find that he was inspired by a book of Grimm's Fairy Tales, and this is the very book!

When Daddy was a little boy, he used to sit in his Grandmother's lap and I used to sit in his lap, and together we would listen to her read stories from this book with its green cloth cover.  Daddy's Grandmother had a beautiful reading voice, and she had a way of making the tales come to life.  When Daddy became too big for her lap, he would snuggle into the chair beside her and I would still sit on Daddy's lap and listen to her read the stories he loved so much.  When Daddy's Grandmother grew old and sick, it was his turn to read the stories he loved so much to her.  And do you know what?  He read them in a beautiful reading voice and he made the stories come to life.  Together, Daddy's Grandmother and I would listen to the stories again, she resting, and me sitting in his lap.

This illustration by Harry George Theaker is what is known as a frontispiece and comes from the story of One Eye, Two Eyes and Three Eyes.  Two Eyes is the Cinderella or the household and is mistreated by her sisters and widowed mother.  Now it so happens that she has a godmother who is a faerie.  However, in this story there are no grand balls or glass slippers.  Two Eyes' faerie godmother is very practical.  Because Two Eyes is hungry, her godmother enchants her goat (seen in the vignette behind the godmother's head) to bring forth a table from which Two Eyes may eat as much as she likes, whenever she likes.  The faerie godmother's face reminds me of Daddy's Grandmother: kind, loving and caring. 

You might notice a rose petal in the margin of the book.  It is brown now, but it apparently was once red.  It was placed there by Daddy's Mummy, and the petal came from Daddy's Grandmother's London garden.  It was placed there long before Daddy or I were born.  I think that is very special.  Daddy's Mummy obviously liked the story of One Eye, Two Eyes and Three Eyes." 

This is one of my faerie tale books of my childhood; "Grimm's Fairy Tales" published by Ward, Lock & Co. Limited in London in the mid 1920s. It is part of the "Prince Charming Colour Book Series" and features thirty colour plates and eighteen sepia plates by Harry George Theaker. Already an antique by the time it was given to me, it had been in the possession of my Mother, and my Grandmother before that.  As Paddy has so eloquently explained already, this volume holds particular sentimental value for me, and the stories of my childhood, my Mother's before me and her Mother's before her are carefully pressed between the aging pages and Pre-Raphaelite illustrations, along with many old pressed flowers.

My Paddington Bear came to live with me in London when I was two years old (many, many years ago).  He was hand made by my Great Aunt and he has a chocolate coloured felt hat, the brim of which had to be pinned up by a safety pin to stop it getting in his eyes.  The collar of his Macintosh is made of the same felt.  He wears wellington boots made from the same red leather used to make the toggles on his Macintosh.  

He has travelled with me across the world and he and I have had many adventures together over the years.  He is a very precious member of my small family.

Harry George Theaker (1873 - 1954) was an artistic master of all trades. He was a fine artist, illustrator, pottery decorator, calligrapher, and stained glass designer as well as a respected art instructor and educator. Born in Wolstanton, Staffordshire, he was the son of the headmaster of the nearby Burslem School of Art. Being part of an artistic family, he began his education at the Burselm School of Art, but his talent soon outgrew the institution, and he furthered his studies at the Royal College of Art. He quickly showed a great talent for painting, and after a period of study in Italy became one of the most widely respected watercolourists of the early Twentieth Century. In the first half of his life Harry was active in the English Arts & Crafts and the Aesthetic Movements, which were led by men such as William Morris and his friend and collaborator Edward Burne-Jones and it exerted a strong influence on his career and the careers of many of the other artistic figures of his generation. The Pre-Raphaelite influence can be seen clearly in the illustration above. Harry exhibited widely during his lifetime, having several one man shows in London and elsewhere. Later in life Harry became the head of School or Art at Regent Street Polytechnic, and a member of the Art Worker's Guild. He painted landscapes, produced poetry, decorative and stained glass, and illustrated many children's books, thus cementing his place amongst the illustrators of the Golden Age of children's illustration. These books included ones on faerie tales, legends, literature and perhaps his most famous children's book "Stories of King Arthur", which was published in 1925. Harry died in 1954 at the age of 81.

Taken on: March 11, 2019

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Camera: Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS, f/2.8, 1/20 sec, 6.2mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS
Aperture:	f/2.8
Exposure Time:	0.05 sec (1/20)
Focal Length:	6.2mm
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
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