1911 The Princess

Description

Colour Plates, Decorative Binding, Illustrated, Original Binding, Publishers' Original Binding

An intricately illustrated edition of The Princess, the Medieval narrative poem written by poet laureate and symbol of the Victorian era Alfred Lord Tennyson, with illustrations by American artist Howard Chandler Christy. Published by The Bobbs-Merrill Company in 1911.

In the publisher's decorative original cloth. Contains a colour frontispiece of the titular Princess, as well as ten other colour plates, numerous colour and monochrome full-page illustrations, and in-text illustrations by Christy. Collated complete.

Under the backdrop of a mythical medieval setting, The Princess has been deemed to be one of the poet laureate's classics, but has also reinforced his image as a figure very much of his period, with the poem seen to be a critique on women's education.

The operatic duo Gilbert and Sullivan later adapted the poem into The Princess Ida, which is still performed in numerous theatres to this day. 

Only a few years after publishing the work, Christy would illustrate many recruitment posters for the American effort in the First World War, famous for creating the 'Christy Girl'.