Edmund Dulac is not a name that would spring unbidden to my mind in any context. Thus it is such a pleasure to discover this to me totally unknown artistic talent who was active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Dulac was born in Toulouse France in 1882. His father wanted him to become a lawyer but that was not to be. He wrote in his journal:
“Cher Journal: Well, trouble brewing again. Mon père… Furious upon opening my law books, and seeing page upon page of wizards, mermaids, and unicorns painted by me over “the sacred words.” On explaining to him that these creatures are more real and dear to me than le droit privé [private law], father’s promptly turned the color of a freshly boiled lobster.
Edmund, June 3, 1900″
Dulac had a colourful and varied career as you can read in this article which will show you many others of his illustrations. For example Dulac did the illustrations in 1911 for Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid.
In the Midst of War, He Gave the World Electrifying Fairytales
