Randolph Caldecott, Lord of the Nursery

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During his brief life, Randolph Caldecott emerged as a highly regarded illustrator, thriving amidst Victorian Aestheticism and industrialization. He drew inspiration from nature and the rural society of eighteenth-century England, skillfully translating observed scenes of people, animals, and daily life into drawings characterized by a masterful economy of line and exceptional color. His humor captured the folly and vanity of humanity, portrayed with both frankness and affection. Rodney Engen chronicles Caldecott's journey from his modest beginnings in a small village to his early career as a bank clerk, where his talent quickly attracted commissions from prominent periodicals such as the Graphic and Illustrated London News. Caldecott's most significant legacy lies in his celebrated series of children's Picture Books, which included beautifully illustrated nursery rhymes and stories, produced in collaboration with master engraver Edmund Evans. Notable titles like The House that Jack Built and John Gilpin debuted in 1878, marking the start of a prolific eight-year period that solidified his international acclaim and earned him the title "Lord of the Nursery." Engen presents a comprehensive selection of Caldecott's work, featuring both well-known illustrations and lesser-known oil paintings and sculptures, along with a complete catalog of his oeuvre. An authority on Victorian illustrators, Engen has also authored works on contem