The
Golden Age of Illustration:
eleanor
Fortescue-Brickdale The Golden Age of Illustration is a term applied to a time period (1880s - 1920s) of unprecedented excellence in book and magazine illustrations by artists in Europe and America.
Advances in technology at the time allowed for accurate and inexpensive reproductions of their art, which allowed quality books to be available to the voracious public demand for new graphic art. When many people think of the Golden Age of Illustration, Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, and other male artists come to mind, but there were also female artists that excelled during this time. Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale (January 25, 1872 - March 10, 1945) was one such artist. This English artist, known for her paintings and book illustrations in the Pre-Raphaelite style, was one of the most popular artists of the Edwardian era. She also designed stain glass windows and small-scale sculptures which followed the Pre-Raphaelite tradition of applied art through various media to celebrate the beauty of nature and the human form. Born in Upper Norwood, Surrey, Eleanor demonstrated a natural talent for drawing that led to her entering the Crystal Palace School of Art at age 17. However, even with showing great skill, it took her three tries before eventually bein Chance, 1901
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