Why collect Illustrations?

We have all found ourselves spell bound by a tale at some time in our lives, whether as a child reading Thomas the Tank Engine, a young adult reading Macbeth, or an adult reading The Da Vinci Code. Reading is an essential skill we all have to master if we wish to succeed in what we call everyday life. But reading is much more; it lets us explore the lives of others, their trials and adventures, defeats and triumphs. We can learn as well as be entertained. Children's books are especially adept at achieving this and many can be read time and time again by anyone. A good story can be read and enjoyed at any age. I remember travelling on the train to Waterloo and noticed on the seat in front of me a copy of JK Rowlings Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I tried to guess the age and identity of the reader and was not at all surprised to see that it belonged to a lady of some 70 years or more who, like millions of people around the globe, was enthralled. The tales and images of the illustrations are burned into our minds. We enjoy the moments when we are reminded of them. Filmmakers, therefore, go to great lengths to ensure that the imagery they create reflects what we have all come to expect from the book. A great example is Peter Jackson's visionary The Lord of the Rings recreation of 'Middle Earth'. To ignore it would have been perilous.

It is therefore not at all surprising that many people have turned to collecting original works by the artists that have illustrated those inspiring books. Books like Alice in Wonderland, Wind in the Willows, Peter Pan and Winnie-the-Pooh are all children's classics and are rightly much sought after along with many others. Also, books by Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, EH Shepard, William Heath Robinson and such classic illustrators appeal to many people because of their imaginative visual storytelling.

Their illustrations tempt us to believe that 1900 through 1930 was the golden age of illustration but I feel this is an overstatement. You only need to take a trip around a high street bookshop and see some of the illustrative excellence that is currently available. The list of great modern illustrators such as Quentin Blake, Ronald Searle, Lesley Ann Ivory are constantly being added to by the likes of Rui Paes (Madonna's book Lotsa da Casha), Peter Malone (The Possibility of Angels) and David Wyatt (Peter Pan in Scarlet) to name a few. See our ‘News’ section for the latest updates.

Owning an original published illustration is very satisfying. Compared to some works by established artists they can be acquired at reasonable prices. An average watercolour of, say, a 'country scene', may cost many thousands of pounds, whilst many book illustrations retail for just a few hundred pounds. It is always enjoyable to know that the art hanging on your wall is familiar to thousands of people around the world. Illustration can be hung anywhere, even the nursery. It is one investment that a child can enjoy without destroying its value through the addition of its own artistic talents, or wanton destruction, as so often occurs with books!

These are investments that will inspire and delight!