Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was published in 1865 by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, written under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. The book continues to appeal to children and adults, and it stands as the foremost example of the literary nonsense genre.
The book has led to hundreds of different editions, some superbly illustrated. To add to this there are musicals, pictures, movies (including next year’s Johnny Depp led Alice Through the Looking Glass, a follow up to the so-so Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland movie.) The book has also inspired musicians, such as Tom Waits’ album, Alice; and Marilyn Manson’s offering Eat Me, Drink Me.
To mark the 150 year anniversary, the British Library in London is hosting an exhibition.
The stand-out exhibits are a first edition of the book:
And Charles Dodgson’s (‘Lewis Carroll’) diary. Alongside the diary are some of the wood blocks used to illustrate some of the early editions. The blocks were fashioned by Sir John Tenniel (28 February 1820 – 25 February 1914).
There are also more modern takes on publishing Alice, such as this pop-up book for young children.
As well as other editions to view. On display are illustrated versions by editions by Mervyn Peake, Ralph Steadman, Leonard Weisgard, Arthur Rackham, Salvador Dali and others.
The exhibition contains many illustrations inspired by the book over many years.
Other images are rendered in a mix of old-fashioned and modern style.
Or in comic book style.
Various well-remembered characters feature in the illustrations, such as The Duchess, whose hideous appearance is established in John Tenniel’s Victorian illustrations; also featured is the Cheshire Cat. The cat, as described in the novel, constantly grins and can disappear and reappear whenever it likes.
Other familiar characters appear, such as the Dormouse:
The book is supposedly inspired by a 10 year old girl called Alice Liddell, who was know to Dodgson. The first edition carries the following dedication to the child: “A Christmas Gift to a Dear Child in Memory of a Summer’s Day.”
A running theme through book is a deck of cards, and this appears throughout the exhibition, including as shown below:
As well as books and pictures, there are some models on show too. The Flamingos, for example, are the birds that the Queen of Hearts uses in a Croquet Game.
There is also a surrealist take on Alice:
No exhibition would be complete without the ‘Drink Me’ bottle, which causes Alice to shrink in height.
Some of the book’s adventures are apparently based on situations, and buildings in Oxford and at Christ Church College, where the book’s author was a professor of mathematics.
The original book was illustrated by Dodgson, who added 37 illustrations.
There are, according to some interpretations, mathematical puzzles in the book. An example is logic puzzles and inverse relationships littered throughout the conversations taking place at the tea party hosted by the March Hare, the Hatter, and the Dormouse.
In 1871, Dodgson wrote a sequel called Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. In some additions, both Alice books are published together.
The exhibition is nicely curated and mixes Alice across various art forms.
The exhibition runs until Sunday April 17, 2016. For those interested in Alice, the ideas behind Wonderland, and Lewis Carroll, the exhibition is worth visiting.
