Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Robinson, W. Heath, 1872-1944.
- Abstract:
- The manuscript consists of 84 pen and ink and watercolorimages by the famous British illustrator and humorist W. Heath Robinson for The Child's Arabian Nights (London: Grant Richards, 1906).
- Extent:
- 94 leaves : paper, ill. ; 258 x 188 mm, bound to 265 x 203 mm.
- Language:
- Finding aid is written in English.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The manuscript consists of 84 images created in 1903 by W. Heath Robinson for The Child's Arabian Nights, the third and final book that he illustrated for the publisher Grant Richards. This was Robinson's second opportunity to produce illustrations for The Arabian Nights---the first being in 1899---but his first chance to serve as lone illustrator. The Child's Arabian Nights was Robinson's first attempt to produce a significant number of color plates. The manuscript includes full-color proof copies for all twelve color plates found in The Child's Arabian Nights, with pen and ink and full-color watercolor drafts of each. Also included are proof copies and pen and ink originals of 26 line drawings produced for the book, with a sketch titled "The Talkative Barber" that is marked "unused". The manuscript also includes a table of contents from the rare children's book.
- Biographical / historical:
-
William Heath Robinson (1872-1944) was born into a family of artists and craftsmen in Islington, North London. After a failed attempt to establish himself as a landscape painter, he became an illustrator, joining his father and older brothers Tom and Charles in the trade. His early work includes illustrations for Hans Christen Andersen's Fairy Tales (1897), Don Quixote (1897 and 1902), The Arabian Nights (1899), and The Poetry of Edgar Allen Poe (1900); a brief association with the publisher Grant Richards led to the publication of a children's book which Robinson both illustrated and wrote, The Adventures of Uncle Lubin (1902). More ambitious illustrations include those for Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" (1908) and "Midsummer Night's Dream" (1914), Kipling's A Song of the English (1909), Kingsley's The Water-Babies (1915), and The Works of Rabelais (1904). After World War I, the market for finely illustrated books declined and Robinson turned toward humorous subjects, producing illustrations for weeklies including The Tattler, The Bystander, and The Sketch. Today, he is best known for his drawings of overly complicated machines that carry out simple and often ridiculous tasks; the contraptions known as Rube Goldberg machines in the United States are referred to as Heath Robinsons in Britain.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift, 1970.
- Physical location:
- Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- Watercolors.
Artists᾿ proofs.
Access and use
- Location of this collection:
-
A1713 Charles E. Young Research LibraryBox 951575Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
- Contact:
- (310) 825-4988