Margaret Vandegrift. Illustrated by E.B. Bensell. The Absent Minded Fairy. Philadelphia, Ketterlinus Printing House, 1884.
The digital scans of this book contain a bit of extra love. Many of the pages have been hand-coloured in crayon to add a flourish to the original drawings, and I find them utterly charming. My favourite is page 19 with the elephant up a tree. The artwork is Victorian in flavour and the story itself is sweet and well told. I’ve included the first page that is without artwork because the opening sentence is delightful and sets the tone for all that follows. You’ll find all of the full-sized plates below the fold. Enjoy.
Frontispiece, The Absent Minded Fairy.
The story begins. Page 7, The Absent Minded Fairy.
Page 19, The Absent Minded Fairy.
Page 36, The Absent Minded Fairy.
Page 49, The Absent Minded Fairy.
Page 52, The Absent Minded Fairy.
Page 58, The Absent Minded Fairy.
Page 61, The Absent Minded Fairy.
Page 75, The Absent Minded Fairy.
Page 89, The Absent Minded Fairy.
Page 96, The Absent Minded Fairy.
Page 113, The Absent Minded Fairy.
Page 115, The Absent Minded Fairy.
Back Cover, The Absent Minded Fairy.
I wonder what became of the child who did the crayon art…
How delightful. The crayon additions are lovely as well, because they show a kid who, with much enthusiasm and little fine motor skills, tried to improve the drawings, adding more vibrant colour.