V&A Alice in Wonderland Side Plates, for Dinner, Afternoon Tea or Breakfast, Fine China, 20.5 cm (8"), Set of 4

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According to Lewis Carroll, Tenniel also drew the rattle the wrong way. In a letter to Henry Savile Clark, dating November 29, 1886, Carroll states that Tenniel had drawn a watchman’s rattle (used to sound an alarm) in stead of a child’s toy rattle. He was certain that the latter was meant in the old nursery rhyme ( Gardner 227). Also, more than 150 electrotypes have survived and sometimes appear at auctions. It is very hard to determine for which editions they were actually used though ( Hancher 207). Garvey, Eleanor M. and W.H. Bond. Tenniel’s Alice. Drawings by Sir John Tenniel for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. Harvard College Library and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1978. When Alice meets the Cheshire Cat sitting in a tree, he vanishes and reappears again at once. When Alice walks on, he reappears again on a branch. This time, he disappears more slowly, on Alice’s request. However, the picture of this slow vanishing shows the Cheshire Cat sitting in exactly the same tree as he was in when Alice met him before walking on. Gardner, Martin. The Annotated Alice. 150th anniversary deluxe edition, W.W. Norton & Company, 2015.

For the ‘The Nursery Alice’, 20 of Tenniel’s illustrations were enlarged, colorized, and some of them were even slightly redrawn. Among others, Alice’s dresses were drawn with less crinoline. Tenniel hand-colored them. Dalziel’s signature has been removed from all Nursery illustrations. Stern, Jeffrey. “Lewis Carroll the Pre-Raphaelite”. Lewis Carroll Observed, by Edward Guiliano, Clarkson N. Potter, 1976. Tumble down the rabbit hole with my favourite Collection of Alice in Wonderland. Would you like an adventure now, or shall we have tea first? Fine Bone China Perfect Plate hand decorated & hand edged in 22 carat gold for your delicious dinners, luscious lunches piled high with treats or why not hang & display on your wall? Wall displays of plates are a super simple to do & a great alternative to art. You can start with 1 plate design & add in different sizes or chose a selection of your favourite Intricate Ink Illustrations in different sizes to really catch your eye. In “Though the Looking-Glass”, the illustrations show the Kings wearing the same crowns as the Queens. Kings are supposed the have crowns with a cross on top. It is unsure whether this is a mistake in the illustrations, or perhaps a request from Carroll to remove any possible references to Christianity? In chapter 1 we are told: “[…] she found herself in a long low hall, which was lit up by a row of lamps hanging from the roof.” In Tenniel’s illustration of Alice and the White Rabbit running through this hall, no lamps are visible however.

The making of the illustrations for Through the Looking-Glass

Hancher, Michael. The Tenniel illustrations to the ‘Alice’ books. The Ohio State Press, second edition, 2019. On 8th April 1865, Tenniel was working on the 30th picture. By then, Carroll was still working on the final text for publication. Carroll sent the galley proofs for all the text to Tenniel on May 1865, so he could complete the illustrations. In the end, forty-two illustrations were completed – twice as many as Carroll initially anticipated. ( Jones and Gladstone 253-255 and Jaques and Gidders)

It is suggested that he was inspired by paintings by his friend Dante Gabriel Rossetti (modeled by Annie Miller) and his friend Arthur Hughes. Carroll owned Hughes’ oil painting ‘Girl with Lilacs’ ( Stern). Author Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson), was rather fussy about how his book and the illustrations would look, so he provided Tenniel with many details and instructions. Jaques, Zoe and Eugene Gidders. Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. A Publishing History. Ashgate Studies in Publishing History, Ashgate Publishing, 2016. Carroll sent the completed galleys, including the Wasp incident, to Tenniel on 16 January 1871 for pasting up and illustrating.Make time for tea and delight you guests with our beautifully illustrated Truly Alice party range. Transform your home into a Mad Hatters tea party by hanging our teapot bunting on the walls or between trees, then add our oversized Alice in Wonderland decorations and photo props to feel like you have shrunk in size – just like Alice! We’re all mad here! In homage to Lewis Carroll's classic book, our Alice in Wonderland party supplies, decorations and tableware are designed to help you escape your everyday life and tumble down a rabbit hole of your imagination. Perfect for providing some inspiration for your next Tea Party, Alice in Wonderland party theme, Baby Shower or Mother's Day table.