compares different illustrated versions of Alice in Wonderland, focusing on two scenes: down the rabbit hole, and outgrowing the house

1. The Many Faces of
Alice in Wonderland

2. Alice is 150 years old this year and remains one of the most famous, if
not the most famous book in the British Children’s literature canon.
Two different images of Alice conjure up in people’s minds when they
think about her:
Walt Disney’s
Alice (1951)
John Tenniel’s
Alice (1865)

3. The Real Alice
While on a boat trip, Charles Dodgson (Lewis
Carroll’s real Name) was asked by Alice Liddell to
make up a story to entertain her and her sisters.
He began to make up stories about the adventures
of a little girl called Alice who falls down a rabbit
hole.
Alice Liddell bears little resemblance to Alice in
Wonderland. In fact, Carroll’s early illustrations of
the text (on the right) are set to be based on
Alice’s older sister Edith. Yet, some illustrators have
chosen to go back to the original Alice, as we will
see later.

4. Sir John Tenniel is responsible for the iconic Alice look, having
created the first Alice illustrations on Carroll’s request. But as his
eyesight began to fail, he gave permission to Macmillan to ask first
Harry G. Theaker (1911) then John Macfarlane (1927) and Diz
Wallis (1995) to work on coloured plates.
The macmillan look
Tenniel (1865) Theaker (1911) Macfarlane (1927)

5. There have been so many visual reinterpretations of
Alice since Tenniel’s original drawings. As part of the
150th anniversary celebrations, I thought it would be
interesting to look back at some of Alice’s different
faces. I have chosen to focus on two iconic events in
the story. This is in no way an exhaustive list, as
there are so possibly hundreds of different Alices, as
if for many, illustrating Lewis Carroll’s words is
almost a rite of passage as an illustrator.

6. Alice Falling
(down The rabbit hole)

7. Templar
Robert Ingpen
Ingpen’s illustrations are very
traditional in many ways. His use of
watercolour and pencil creates an
almost dreamlike atmosphere. In fact
Alice almost looks asleep here and
unlike most other representations of
this scene, the background is blank, as
if she is falling into nothingness.

8. Anthony Browne
Browne’s Alice herself might not seem unusual
or very different from what we are used to
(despite a change of colours in her clothing) but
the book overall is brimful of references,
particularly to realist art (Magritte but not
only). The eclectic items on the shelves Alice
passes on her way down are witness to that.
Walker Books

9. Tove Jansson
Originally published in 1966, this edition
includes both black & white and colour plates
from Jansson, who is more renown for her
Moomins than from any other of her artwork
This sketch of Alice falling is incredibly
powerful at conveying movement, thanks to its
pencil strokes, but also the chaos and unknown
awaiting Alice. I find her expression almost
haunting.
Tate Publishing

10. There is an interesting change of perspective in this illustration . The
reader is often positioned as if inside the hole, watching Alice pass by.
Here the reader is positioned above, at the entrance of the hole, watching
her disappear.
Alison Jay
OLD BARN BOOKS

11. Fran Parreño
Parreno’s Alice is a wonderful mix of
traditional and contemporary.
Alice is dark-haired, like Alice Liddell,
and rather stubborn looking throughout
the book yet there is an air a glee o
her face as she falls down the rabbit
hole. The reader is positioned towards
the bottom here, seeing the hole from
below. Though this is the opposite from
Alison Jay’s, it equally gives a sense of
depth, and the details of furniture on
the walls are just wonderful.
Usborne

12. Iassen Ghiuselev
Iassen Ghiuselev’s version of Alice is possibly one
of the most beautiful and ‘adult-friendly’ I
have come across. His Alice seems rather sullen-
looking throughout but here shows a hint of a
smile as she seems to be gently floating down
the rabbit hole. There is an air of peace in
this illustration, Alice looking almost as light
a feather.
Simply Read Books

13. Tony Ross
Andersen Press
There is almost something comic-
macabre about this Alice falling
down the rabbit hole. She looks
terrified as does one of the
character in the painting, while
another painting character almost
looks devilish. It is deliciously dark
and scary, and perfectly pitched for
the audience this adaptation is
aimed at.

14. Lisbeth Zwerger
Penguin
Despite being a rabbit hole, very few
illustrators seem to have opted for
a literal visual translation of that
fact.
Zwerger, however, creates an
underground world of tunnels and
beasties, mixing both fantasy (the
bookshelf is still there) and natural
world. Alice’s hair brings a feeling
of great speed, as if she is falling
down a chute.
Such a shame this Alice is now out
of print.

15. Emma Chichester Clark
HarperCollins
Chichester Clark has opted for a dark-haired
Alice for her adaptation and in fact the
artwork throughout the book is in much
darker tones than we are used to in her
work.
Alice’s posture in this plate is so graceful,
and she seems so calm and unconcerned by
what might await her at the bottom.
Chichester Clark’s signature intricate details
and love of patterns can be seen by the
array of objects on the shelves.

16. POP
Dark Horse
Japanese manga illustration can
be very twee and there is
nothing quite more twee than a
British children’s classic. Alice
therefore is almost an extreme
version of both Tenniel and
Disney’s Alices merged together.
But the wacky side of the story
works well with manga artwork.

17. Xavier Collette
Glénat
The use of frames in graphic novels
and picturebooks allow for the
passing of time to be expressed
visually. This is particularly effective
in the depiction of this scene in
this French graphic novel version of
Alice.
Here the reader gets a real sense
of Alice falling as she moves down
the page, frame by frame. The use
of colour also conveys how deep
underground Alice is falling.

18. Yelena Bryksenkova
Frances Lincoln
Bryksenkova’s book aims at simplifying
the plot into 16 plates and she
sticks to a more traditional visual
rendering of the rabbit hole . There
is a great sense of movement within
this illustration, and young readers
will undoubtedly love all the rabbity
hints and clues.

19. Alice Overgrowing the
house
(The rabbit sends in a little bill)

20. Maura Evangelista
This version of Alice is aimed at
younger children and this is evident
looking at the artwork which is all
muted colours and soft focus. Alice
and the other characters almost look
like toys and in many of the
illustrations, including this one; Alice
looks like a ragdoll, replacing the
darker side of the tale with a more
child-friendly theme.
Usborne

21. Rebecca Dautremer
Gautier-Languereau
Dautremer’s signature style has made her household name in France
yet she is almost completely unknown here. Her Alice is dark and
quite similar to Alice Liddell, and her Wonderland subtly and
elegantly threatening at times.

22. Helen Oxenbury
Walker Books
Oxenbury’s Alice has been hailed as the true modern Alice and it is
easy to why. With her no-frills blue dress, her white trainers and her
unruly hair, she looks like she could just walk down the street.
Oxenbury manages to mix both the modern and the contemporary here,
as the décor remains very much in Alice’s traditional style.

23. Eric Puybaret
Macmillan
This version of Alice oozes elegance thanks to Puybaret’s
signature style. This illustration is perfect, in its use of scale
and colour but also in the way Alice almost looks like she is
attempting a dancer’s leap out of the house. Despite the
obvious destruction, it looks nothing but delicate.

24. Thomas Perino
Perino’s woodcut illustrations gives a ‘look’
never quite seen before for Alice. The
uncluttered style brings a certain elegance,
a certain modernity to Alice, full of
geometric shapes. Alice’s soft face and her
emotions therefore stand out in contrast
in many of the illustrations, as is the
case here.
Seuil

25. Grahame Baker-Smith
Walker Books
Baker-Smith’s illustrations were
first commissioned for Royal
Mail’s commemorative stamps
which were released earlier this
year, hence the square format.
This square format fits this
particular scene perfectly, with
Baker-Smith using the frame as
part of the illustration, as
they work as the walls Alice is
getting stuck against.

26. More Alices!
Mabel Lucy Attwell Stefano Bessoni
Arthur Rackham
Manuela Adreani
Anne Herbauts
Jamison Odone