J. R. Sinclair – Edwardian Alice

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J. R. Sinclair’s Alice in Wonderland (Circa 1900’s), is one of the earliest illustrated publications of the book. Unfortunately, I can’t find anything about this illustrator. The style is early 1900’s, I know very little about illustration methods, I think some of the illustrations in this book were originally made as etchings.
I have the first edition of this rare book, in an ok condition, the pages are rather yellowed. I find the illustrations themselves rather charming. Let’s dive into the book, I’ll place the illustrations in order of appearence.

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Front cover with 3 scenes from the book, Alice and the gardners, Alice listening to the mouse’s tale, and Alice going after the White rabbit. How wonderful is this cover?

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Title page – Published by The National Sunday School Union, London, The Red Nursery Series.

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Alice following the White Rabbit. Part of this illustration appears in color on the cover.

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Alice falling down the rabbit’s hole

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Alice listening to the mouses’s tale, with the caucus race animals around. Part of this illustration appears in color on the cover.

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The Caucus race

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The mouse’s tale

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The startled White rabbit

JR-Sinclair-Alice-in-Wonderland-9-bill-the-lizard
Bill the lizard getting kicked out of the chimney

JR-Sinclair-Alice-in-Wonderland-10-alice-puppy
Alice and the puppy

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Alice and the Caterpillar

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Father William standing on his head

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Father William demonstrating a back-somersault in at the door

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Alice and the Pigeon

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Alice and the Footman

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Alice, the Duchess, the baby, the cook, and the Cheshire cat.

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The pig baby

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The Cheshire cat

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A Mad Tea Party

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The Dormouse

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Alice and the Gardners, painting the roses

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The Knave of Hearts, carrying the King’s crown on a crimson velvet cushion. Part of what I love about collecting the Alice in Wonderland books by illustrators, is finding illustrations like this one, which isn’t very common. Most illustrators of Alice, go for the same scenes (caterpillar, mad tea party, Cheshire cat, etc). I find illustrations like this one, that one illustrator picks out, and many others don’t, quite charming

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Alice and the Flamingo, playing croquet

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The Hedgehogs fighting

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Alice, the Gryphon, and the Mock turtle sobbing

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Alice enjoying the Gryphon and the Mock turtle’s dance

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The Trial

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The Mad Hatter, and the March Hare at the trial. The same illustration appears, in color at the back cover.

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Back cover, with a colored illustration of the mad Hatter, with the March Hare.













4 comments

    1. I was not aware of that. Thank you. I’m actually reading H. G. Wells at the moment. A collection of his short stories. That’s after struggling a bit with “War of the Worlds” that was slightly boring.

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