The books illustrated by past or present students of the Birmingham School will be best noticed in a group, as, notwithstanding some distinct individuality shown by many of the artists, especially in their later works, the idea that links the group together is sufficiently similar to impart to all a certain resemblance. In other words, you can nearly always pick out a "Birmingham" illustration at a glance, even if it would be impossible to confuse the work of Mr. Gaskin with that of Miss Levetus.
ILLUSTRATION FROM "THE STORY OF BLUEBEARD" BY E. SOUTHALL (LAWRENCE AND BULLEN. 1895)
Arthur Gaskin's illustrations to Andersen's "Stories and Fairy Tales" (George Allen) are beyond doubt the most important volumes in any way connected with the school. Mr. William Morris ranked them so highly that Mr. Gaskin was commissioned to design illustrations for some of the Kelmscott Press books, and Mr. Walter Crane has borne public witness to their excellence. This alone is sufficient to prove that they rise far above the average level. "Good King Wenceslas" (Cornish Bros.) is another of Mr. Gaskin's books—his best in many ways. He it is also who illustrated and decorated Mr. Baring-Gould's "A Book of Fairy Tales" (Methuen).
Mrs. Gaskin (Georgie Cave France) is also familiar to readers of The Studio. Perhaps her "A, B, C." (published by Elkin Mathews), and "Horn Book Jingles" (The Leadenhall Press), a unique book in shape and style, contain the best of her work so far.
Miss Levetus has contributed many illustrations to books. Among the best are "Turkish Fairy Tales" (Lawrence and Bullen), and "Verse Fancies" (Chapman and Hall).
"Russian Fairy Tales" (Lawrence and Bullen) is distinguished by the designs of C. M. Gere, who has done comparatively little illustration; hence the book has more than usual interest, and takes a far higher artistic rank than its title might lead one to expect.
Miss Bradley has illustrated one of Messrs. Blackie's happiest volumes this year. "Just Forty Winks" (from which one picture is reproduced here), shows that the artist has steered clear of the "Alice in Wonderland" model, which the author can hardly be said to have avoided. Miss Bradley has also illustrated the prettily decorated book of poems, "Songs for Somebody," by Dollie Radford (Nutt). The two series of "Children's Singing Games" (Nutt) are among the most pleasant volumes the Birmingham school has produced. Both are decorated by Winifred Smith, who shows considerable humour as well as ingenuity.
Among volumes illustrated, each by the members of the Birmingham school, are "A Book of Pictured Carols" (George Allen), and Mr. Baring-Gould's "Nursery Rhymes" (Methuen). Both these volumes contain some of the most representative work of Birmingham, and the latter, with its rich borders and many pictures, is a book that consistently maintains a very fine ideal, rare at any time, and perhaps never before applied to a book for the nursery. Indeed were it needful to choose a single book to represent the school, this one would stand the test of selection.
