Artist Walter Crane was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, during August of 1845. He was the son of a portrait painter and served as an apprentice to a wood engraver. When he began creating his own works, he often used Japanese color print techniques and was inspired by Greek vase paintings. He also worked alongside other artisans to erase the separation between artists and craftsmen. He designed art for adults which was seen through socialite political cartoons and art nouveau wallpaper and textiles. His introduction to children’s illustration was a series of picture books which came to be known as toy books. These books were whimsical and covered in colorful images. In his words “The best of designing for children is that the imagination and fancy may be let loose and roam freely, and there is always room for humor and even pathos, sure of being followed by that ever-living sense of wonder and romance in the child heart- a heart which in some cases, happily, never grows up or grows old.”
His works are still seen in modern times. A prime example of this is through modern alternative rock group Twenty One Pilots utilized one of Crane’s dragon illustrations on album titled Scaled and Icy.
How interesting. This image is so unlike his fairy tale illustrations. Nice connection to that rock band.