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Estimate: $ 600 - $ 900
WALTER CRANE (1845-1915) "I don't think ever children before had such fun." Illustration published on page 149 of Christmas-Tree Land by Mrs. Molesworth (London: Macmillan, 1893). Pen and ink on paper. 9 x 5 inches on 11 x 8 1/2-inch sheet. Signed monogram in lower center image. Title and page number from inscription.
Mrs. Molesworth was the name used by Mary Louisa Molesworth (1842-1921), author of 101 books, mostly for children. Her stories often feature fantasies for which Walter Crane's imaginative illustrations are a perfect match. In Christmas-Tree Land, two children, Maia and Rollo, are sent to live in the castle of a wealthy kinswoman where they begin a new life of dreams and adventure. In this decorative illustration, emblematic of the Arts and Crafts movement, Crane depicts Rollo and Maia as they follow the squirrels to the branches of trees, jumping, clamoring and sliding with them.."
