ERNEST GRISET Fantasies of a Victorian Illustrator

Ernest Griset first achieved recognition for his bizarre animal caricatures in the 1860s. Darwin's On the Origin of Species had just been published and, in the ensuing controversies, anthropomorphic caricatures relating animals to men were all the rage. With his love for animals and a sense of humor that reveled in the comic aspects of animal and human behavior, Griset was ideally suited to this form of illustration.

Several authors and writers influenced Griset: among them were Aesop whose Fables he later illustrated and Grandville whose animal fantasies he greatly admired. But Griset did not only portray animals in anthropomorphic guise: he also produced many charming watercolor studies of the animals and birds at the Zoological Gardens in London which had just recently opened

Lionel Lambourne, Assistant Keeper of Paintings at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, discusses and illustrates both these aspects of Griset's work and, placing them in the context of Victorian England, gives an entertaining account of the artist and his eccentric friends.

With 130 illustrations, 8 in color.

Front Cover Illustration: The Dream of the Fisherman. A lazy pelican employs cormorants to do his fishing for him. Back Cover Illustration: Peter the Ant Helps to Milk the Aphis Cows.

Out Of Print. Condition: Fine Plus. Bumped front bottom spine corner with tiny crease.