Lewis Carroll – The Greatest Gift Ever Given

Throughout time, what’s the world’s greatest gift ever given? Is it the Taj Mahal? perhaps the Statute of Liberty? maybe some Fabergé egg presented to a countess? or a gigantic diamond to a Queen? No! None of those hold a candle to the greatest gift ever given, C. L. Dogson’s handwritten, hand illustrated, manuscript of ‘Alice’s adventures underground’.
That personal gift evolved within a few years to become ‘Alice’s adventures in Wonderland’. If not for a few twists and turns, this creation could have remained personal, and obscure. It was given solely to Alice, and was never intended to be one of the most important literary creations.
There’s a 10 year old that deserves a lot of credit in the making of this masterpiece, that’s Alice Liddell of course. Her part was crucial not only as the main muse, but also, if it weren’t for her constant nagging, he (Carroll / Dodgson) would have never have written it down. She was the one asking him to write it down. She could’ve easily forgotten all about that golden afternoon (on July 4th 1862), when Dodgson invented her story, verbally, right then and there. She could have let it go. But no, she repeatedly asked him to write it down for her. How amazing is that? if it weren’t for that kid, we would have never have Alice in Wonderland.
What did that do to her? what was it like growing up in the shadow of this alter ego super star? Why was Dodgson spending considerable time and energy on little girls? oh god, lets leave that for some uncomfortable post at a later time, and just rejoice at that golden afternoon, at those brilliant minds, of the clever imaginative mathematician, and his child muse, and the world’s greatest gift ever given, Alice in Wonderland, in her initial, pre-published form. for Christmas, on Nov 26th 1864, presented as “A Christmas Gift to a Dear Child in Memory of a Summer’s Day”.
The original manuscript was in Alice Liddell’s hands till 1928, when it was sold in auction for 15,000 GBP (about 1,000,000 GBP today). It traded hands a few times till it landed at the British Museum.
In my opinion, as an original work of art, it’s priceless, and should be valued as Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, only it’s way better, and far more impactful than that dreary old painting.
As the story goes, loosely placed here, the original manuscript was noticed by Alice Liddell’s parents friends (God bless those guys), and they turned to Dodgson, and said, hey, dude, you gotta do something with this thing. He asked for it back, re-wrote it, added a few chapters, and made it into Alice in Wonderland. The rest is history.
This post is about that manuscript. Dodgson was brilliant in many ways, and even as an amateur illustrator, he did a pretty good job, and definitely gave his heart, and tried his best. All of the following illustrations were drawn by him, and some are rather elaborate.
Many of those became a later inspiration for the professional illustrators to follow, from Tenniel, onward.
Let’s dive into the book

Front cover


Title page


Front cover of the hand-painted cover of Alice’s adventures under ground


Hand drawn inscription – “A Christmas gift to a dear child, in memory of a summer day”


Alice and her sister


Alice holding a key. This particular illustration is very well made imo.


Alice and the mouse


Curiouser and curiouser


Alice and the White Rabbit


Alice swimming in the pool of tears


Alice and the mouse in her pool of tears


Alice and the animals swimming


Alice and a bird. Is that supposed to be a dodo?


The mouse’s tale


Alice frightening the animals


White rabbit and Alice


Alice drinking


Alice growing


Alice in the white rabbit’s house


Alice’s giant hand outside the white rabbits house


Bill the lizard, getting kicked out of the chimney


Bill getting treated


Alice and the puppy


Alice and the Caterpillar


Father William standing on his hand


Father William doing a back somersault


Father William devouring a chicken, bones, beak and all


Father William balancing a snake on his nose


Alice shrinking


Alice’s neck stretching


Alice and the Pigeon


Alice


Painting the roses


The Knave carrying the crown


Alice and the Flamingo


The Gryphon


The Mock turtle


The Lobster Quadrille


Alice, the Gryphon, and the Mock turtle


The Trial


Alice and the Queen of Hearts


Drawing of Alice Liddell


Alice Liddell photo