Edmund Dulac (born Edmond Dulac; 22 October 1882 – 25 May 1953) was a French-British naturalised magazine illustrator, book illustrator and stamp designer. Born in Toulouse he studied law but later turned to the study of art at the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centur ...

. He moved to London early in the 20th century and in 1905 received his first commission to illustrate the novels of the Brontë Sisters. During World War I, Dulac produced relief books and when after the war the deluxe children's book market shrank he turned to magazine illustrations among other ventures. He designed banknotes during World War II and postage stamps, most notably those that heralded the beginning of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

's reign.

Early life and career

Born in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and fr ...

, France, he began his career by studying law at the University of Toulouse. He also studied art, switching to it full-time after he became bored with law, and having won prizes at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. He spent a very brief period at the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number ...

in Paris in 1904 before moving to London.''Edmund Dulac''
Henry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas. Retrieved July 2, 2011. Edmund Dulac newspaper photo

Settling in London's

Holland Park Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that contains a street and public park of the same name. It has no official boundaries but is roughly bounded by Kensington High Street to the south, Holland Road to ...

, the 22-year-old Frenchman was commissioned by the publisher

J. M. Dent Joseph Malaby Dent (30 August 1849 – 9 May 1926) was a British book publisher who produced the Everyman's Library series. Early life Dent was born in Darlington in what is now part of the Grade II listed Britannia Inn. After a short and ...

to illustrate ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...

''. and nine other volumes of works by the Brontë sisters. He then became a regular contributor to ''

The Pall Mall Magazine ''The Pall Mall Magazine'' was a monthly British literary magazine published between 1893 and 1914. Begun by William Waldorf Astor as an offshoot of ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', the magazine included poetry, short stories, serialized fiction, and ge ...

'', and joined the London Sketch Club, which introduced him to the foremost book and magazine illustrators of the day. Through these he began an association with the

Leicester Galleries Leicester Galleries was an art gallery located in London from 1902 to 1977 that held exhibitions of modern British, French and international artists' works. Its name was acquired in 1984 by Peter Nahum, who operates "Peter Nahum at the Leiceste ...

and

Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette. History Early history The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publishe ...

; the gallery commissioned illustrations from Dulac which they sold in an annual exhibition, while publishing rights to the paintings were taken up by Hodder & Stoughton for reproduction in illustrated gift books, publishing one book a year. Books produced under this arrangement by Dulac include ''Stories from

The Arabian Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...

'' (1907) with 50 colour images; an edition of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''The Tempest'' (1908) with 40 colour illustrations; ''The Rubaiyat of

Omar Khayyam Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīsābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131), commonly known as Omar Khayyam ( fa, عمر خیّام), was a polymath, known for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, an ...

'' (1909) with 20 colour images; ''The

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...

and Other Fairy Tales'' (1910); ''Stories from

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consist ...

'' (1911); ''The Bells and Other Poems by

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

'' (1912) with 28 colour images and many monotone illustrations; and ''Princess Badoura'' (1913). Dulac became a naturalised British citizen on 17 February 1912. During World War I he contributed to relief books, including '' King Albert's Book'' (1914), '' Princess Mary's Gift Book'', and, unusually, his own ''Edmund Dulac's Picture-Book for the

French Red Cross The French Red Cross (french: Croix-Rouge française), or the CRF, is the national Red Cross Society in France founded in 1864 and originally known as the ''Société française de secours aux blessés militaires'' (SSBM). Recognized as a public ...

'' (1915) including 20 colour images. Hodder and Stoughton also published ''The Dreamer of Dreams'' (1915) including 6 colour images – a work composed by the then

Queen of Romania Consorts of Romanian monarchs were persons married to the Romanian monarch during his reign. All monarchs of modern Romania were male with the title of King of the Romanians, but all Romanian consorts were women with the title of Queen of Romania ...

. Dulac was married twice: Alice May de Marini, American (m. 1903; div.1904). Elsa Arnalice Bignardi (m.1911; sep. or div. 1924). After Dulac separated from his wife in 1924, he lived with British writer

Helen Beauclerk Helen Beauclerk (20 September 1892 – 8 July 1969) was a British writer and translator. Biography Helen De Vere Beauclerk or Helen Beauclerk as she was also known are pseudonyms of Helen Mary Dorothea Bellingham. She was born in Cambridge in 18 ...

until his death in 1953. Dulac frequently used her as a model for his illustrations, and illustrated her two novels, ''The Green Lacquer Pavilion'' (1926) and The Love of the Foolish Angel (1929).

Later life

After the war, the deluxe edition illustrated book became a rarity and Dulac's career in this field was over. His last such books were ''Edmund Dulac's Fairy Book'' (1916), the ''

Tanglewood Tales ''Tanglewood Tales for Boys and Girls'' (1853) is a book by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, a sequel to ''A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys''. It is a re-writing of well-known Greek myths in a volume for children. Overview The book includes t ...

'' (1918) (including 14 colour images) and ''The Kingdom of the Pearl'' (1920). His career continued in other areas however, including newspaper caricatures (especially at '' The Outlook''), portraiture, theatre costume and set design, bookplates, chocolate boxes, medals, and various graphics (especially for The

Mercury Theatre, Notting Hill Gate The Mercury Theatre was a small theatre on Ladbroke Road, Notting Hill Gate, London, notable for the productions of poetic dramas between 1933 and 1956, and as the home of the Ballet Rambert until 1987. History (founding) The Mercury Theat ...

). He also produced illustrations for ''

The American Weekly ''The American Weekly'' was a Sunday newspaper supplement published by the Hearst Corporation from November 1, 1896, until 1966. History During the 1890s, publications were inserted into Joseph Pulitzer's ''New York World'' and William Randolp ...

'', a Sunday supplement belonging to the Hearst newspaper chain in America and Britain's ''Country Life''. Country Life Limited (London) published ''Gods and Mortals in Love'' (1935) (including 9 colour images) based on a number of the contributions made by Dulac to ''Country Life'' previously. ''The Daughter of the Stars'' (1939) was a further publication to benefit from Dulac's artwork - due to constraints related to the outbreak of World War II, that title included just 2 colour images. He continued to produce books for the rest of his life, more so than any of his contemporaries, although these were less frequent and less lavish than during the Golden Age. Halfway through his final book commission (Milton's '' Comus''), Dulac died of a heart attack on 25 May 1953 in London.

Stamp design

He designed

postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the f ...

s for the United Kingdom, including the postage stamp issued to commemorate the Coronation of

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

that was issued on 13 May 1937. The head of the King used on all the stamps of that reign was his design and he also designed the 2s 6d and 5s values for the 'arms series' high value definitives and contributed designs for the sets of stamps issued to commemorate the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ...

and the

Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. Historian Kenneth O. Morgan says the Festival was a "triumphant success" during which people: ...

. Dulac was one of the designers of the

Wilding series The Wildings were a series of definitive postage and revenue stamps featuring the Dorothy Wilding photographic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II that were in use between 1952 and 1971. The Wildings were the first and only British stamps to feature ...

stamps, which were the first definitive stamps of the reign of

. He was responsible for the frame around the image of the Queen on the 1s, 1s 3d and 1s 6d values although his image of the Queen was rejected in favour of a photographic portrait by Dorothy Wilding to which he carried out some modifications by hand. He also designed the 1s 3d value stamp of the set issued to commemorate the

Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...

but he died just before it was issued. Dulac designed stamps ( Marianne de Londres series) and

banknotes A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued ...

for

Free France Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...

during World War II. In the early 1940s Edmund Dulac also prepared a project for a Polish 20-zlotych note for the Bank of Poland (Bank Polski). This banknote (printed in England in 1942 but dated 1939) was ordered by the Polish Government in Exile and was never issued.

Books by Dulac

Fairies I have met - illustration facing page 82

* Bronte, C. - ''The Novels of the Bronte Sisters'', Dent 1905 * Stawell, M. M. - ''Fairies I Have Met'', Lane 1907 * ____ ''Stories from the Arabian Nights'', Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1907 * Dulac, E. - ''Lyrics, Pathetic and Humorous from A to Z'', Warne 1908 * Shakespeare, W. - ''The Tempest'', Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1908 * ____ ''The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam'', Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1909 * Couch, A. T. Q. - ''The Sleeping Beauty'', Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1910 * ____ ''Ali Baba and other stories'', Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1911 * ____ ''The Magic Horse'', Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1911 * Andersen, H. C. - ''Stories from Hans Andersen'', Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1911 * Poe, E. A. - ''The Bells, and other poems'', Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1912 * ____ ''Princess Badoura'', Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1913 * Stawell, M. M. - ''My Days With the Fairies'', Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1913 * ____ ''Sindbad the Sailor and other stories'', Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1914 * Dulac, E. - ''Edmund Dulac's Picture Book'', Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1915 * Mary, Queen of Roumania ''The Dreamer of Dreams'', Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1915 * Dulac, E. - ''Edmund Dulac's Fairy Book'', Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1916 * Hawthorne, N. - ''Tanglewood Tales'', Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1918 * Rosenthal, L. - ''The Kingdom of the Pearl'', Nisbet 1920 * Yeats, W. B. - ''Four Plays for Dancers'', Macmillan 1921 * Beauclerk, H. de V. - ''The Green Lacquer Pavilion'', Collins 1926 * Yeats, W. B. - ''A Vision'', Laurie 1926 * Stevenson, R. L. - ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...

'', Benn 1927 * ____ ''A Fairy Garland'', Cassell 1928 * Williamson, H. R. - ''Gods and Mortals in Love'', Country Life 1935 * Cary, M. - ''The Daughter of the Stars'', Hatchard 1939 * Milton, J. - '' Comus'', Limited Edition Club, Cambridge 1949 * Alexander Pushkin, - ''The Golden Cockerel'', The Heritage Press, published in 1950. Dulac wrote the version in English of Pushkin's tale used in the book. In addition to the illustrations, he designed the layout of the book, page by page.

Gallery

File:Logo of Ottoman Bank (15187999992).jpg,

Ottoman Bank The Ottoman Bank ( tr, Osmanlı Bankası), known from 1863 to 1925 as the Imperial Ottoman Bank (french: Banque Impériale Ottomane, ota, بانق عثمانی شاهانه) and correspondingly referred to by its French acronym BIO, was a bank ...

logo, 1947 File:Stamp UK 1953 1shilling3d coronation.jpg, Dulac designed 1953 coronation stamp denominated 1/3 File:Edmund Dulac's picture-book for the French Red Cross - title ornament.png, title ornament for ''Edmund Dulac's picture-book for the French Red Cross'', 1916. File:Edmund Dulac - The Mermaid - The Prince.jpg, illustration for Hans Christian Andersen's "

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a ...

" File:Edmund Dulac - The Nightingale 2.jpg, illustration for Andersen's " The Nightingale"

References

External links

* * * *
Edmund Dulac Collection
at the

Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center (until 1983 the Humanities Research Center) is an archive, library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe for the pur ...

at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

* *
Helen Beauclerk
at LC Authorities an
at WorldCat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dulac, Edmund 1882 births 1953 deaths Fantasy artists French illustrators 20th-century illustrators of fairy tales British illustrators French stamp designers French speculative fiction artists British speculative fiction artists Orientalist painters