“Two, Five, and Seven Painting the Rosebush”
“We’re painting the roses red…”
As a kid, this scene really stuck with me. I was absolutely terrified for those cards and didn’t understand why the queen had to have red roses. But, as an adult, there really is nothing like a (fragrant) red rose!
“Two, Five, and Seven Painting the Rosebush” is an illustration by the English illustrator, John Tenniel. It is from the first edition of Lewis Carroll’s book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, originally published in 1865.
This illustration appeared in the eighth chapter of the book, titled “The Queen’s Croquet-Ground”, on page 52 in the first edition. It was accompanied with the following text:
“Would you tell me, please,” said Alice, a little timidly, “why you are painting those roses?”
Five and Seven said nothing, but looked at Two. Two began, in a low voice, “Why, the fact is, you see, Miss, this here ought to have been a red rose-tree, and we put a white one in by mistake, and, if the Queen was to find it out, we should all have our heads cut off, you know.”
Lewis Carroll, whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, had originally begun drafting his own illustrations for this book, but was persuaded by the engraver he was working with, Orlando Jewitt, to hire a professional illustrator.
John Tenniel was an up-and-coming illustrator achieving notoriety for his political cartoons printed in Punch, a weekly publication. Carroll was familiar with Tenniel’s work and commissioned him to illustrate this book. Tenniel was paid £138 for his drawings.
For his illustration process, Tenniel first created the images in pencil, then finalized them using black ink and Chinese white, which is a pigment made of zinc oxide. Once the images were complete, they were transferred to woodblocks using tracing paper, to be engraved. The Dalziel Brothers, who ran one of the most prestigious workshops in England at this time, engraved the design on woodblocks for publication.
Since Carroll already had illustrations in mind, he gave such specific instructions to Tenniel that their relationship became strained. The illustrations, however, along with the novel became a huge success partly due to the perfectionist attitude of both artists. It is said that both Queen Victoria and Oscar Wilde were among those who loved it.
If Tenniel’s work looks familiar, it should, as the 1950s Disney movie, Alice in Wonderland, follows Tenniel’s interpretations closely.
For more on Sir John Tenniel, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
