Tale Collection

The Ghost Story by Alfred Bestall
A family sit in the dark by a blazing fire, rigid with fear while listening to a ghost story told by an aged relative. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, the sceptre of a medieval knight

The Owl and The Pussycat
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea In a beautiful pea green boat, They took some honey, and plenty of money, Wrapped up in a five pound note

Jules Vernes Nautilus submarine, artwork
Nautilus submarine. Artwork of the submarine Nautilus surfacing rapidly after sinking a ship. This scene is from the book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870)

The Pardoners Tale
The three rogues search in the woods for death

She Chose Me For Her Horse. Illustration By Lucy Kemp Welch From The Book Black Beauty By A. Sewell Published 1915

Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie - Kissed the girls and made them cry. When the boys came out to play - Georgie Porgie ran away

Chaucers Canterbury Pilgrims on the road
* NOTE - FULL FILE IS A LONG PANORAMA - Preview split into 3 sections for ease of viewing * Chaucers Canterbury Pilgrims on the road reproduction of a painting by Stephen Reid (1873-1948) (from left)

The Moonchild by Florence Mary Anderson
A small, angelic looking child is carried through the sky in a basket held by a colourful group of fairies and pixies. c.1925

CANTERBURY TALES. The beginning of the prologue to Chaucers Canterbury Tales. A 15th century manuscript page

Fairy Tales of Autumn - Hansel and Gretel by Pauline Baynes
Hansel and Gretel by Pauline Baynes, one of a series of four illustrations of fairy tales which reflect each season. In this case

The Land of Christmas Plays by Pauline Baynes
Charming illustration showing a land populated by all the characters from Christmas plays and pantomimes including Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Robinson Crusoe

Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs released in UK, 1938
Page from The Bystander showing two scenes from the Disney full-length animation, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the time it was released in Britain

CANTERBURY TALES, c1490. Woodcut of the Knight from the edition of Chaucers Canterbury
CANTERBURY TALES, c1490. Woodcut of the Knight from the edition of Chaucers " Canterbury Tales" printed by Richard Pynson in London, c1490

Sleeping Beauty ballet, reawakening scene
While the King and Queen sleep, Prince Charming, with the blessing of the Lilac Fairy, bends to kiss the Sleeping Princess and thereby awaken her

Swan Lake ballet, Siegfried and Odette fall in love
Siegfried and Odette fall in love while the little swans dance. Because of an evil spell, they are swans by day, and only resume human shape at midnight

Sleeping Beauty ballet, christening scene
The christening scene in a ballet version of the Sleeping Beauty, with the wicked fairy Carabosse putting her curse on the baby Princess in her cradle

Fairy Tales of Winter - Cinderella by Pauline Baynes
Cinderella by Pauline Baynes, one of four illustration of fairy tales which reflect each season. In this instance, Cinderella is transformed by her fairy godmother into a dazzling princess while her

Nursery Rhyme - Three Little Pigs
The Tale of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf. Painting by Malcolm Greensmith

A glamorous female model with her trusty Goblin Teasmade
A stylish female model wakes up fresh-faced and ready now to face the day thanks to a few sips from a hearty brew prepared by her faithful bedside Goblin Teasmade. How Delicious! Date: 1960s

The Market Cross, Devizes, Wiltshire. The cross bears the salutary tale of Ruth Pierce, accused of cheating some buyers at the market, which led to her mysterious death

Cinderella by Arthur Rackham
Cinderellas sisters arriving for the Ball in all their finery. Date: 1919

Sleeping Beauty pricks her finger by Arthur Rackham
The crucial moment in the story of Sleeping Beauty when Beauty pricks her finger on a spinning wheel thus sending her to sleep for a number of years

Cinderella ballet, Ugly Sisters trying to dance
The Ugly Sisters try to follow their dancing master while Cinderella stands disconsolately by the fire. A scene from a ballet version of Cinderella, based on French and Spanish fairytales

The Elephants Child
THE ELEPHANTs CHILD Kiplings tale of how the elephant got his trunk. A crocodile tugs at the elephants nose, and thus he develops a trunk!

Knights Tale, Joust
Palamon desireth to slay his foe Arcite

The Hut of Baba Yaga
The Baba Yaga chases the girl in a pestle

Tarot Card 2 - La Papesse (The Female Pope)
Pope Joan or Joanna depicted on a tarot card. Pope Joan was a legendary female pope, thought to have reigned for a time during the Middle Ages, but probably a fabrication

The first tale of Ishikawa Goemon. Print shows two actors in the role of Ishikawa Goemon. Date between 1825 and 1830

Sleeping Beauty by Arthur Rackham
Princess Briar Rose, aka Sleeping Beauty, pictured in a perfect pose as she sleeps for a hundred years after pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel

Pickwick Papers, Who are you, you rascal? said the captain, administering
Pickwick Papers, " Who are you, you rascal?" said the captain, administering several pokes to Mr. Pickwicks body with the thick stick. " Whats your name?"

Pinocchio
Front cover from a Catalan edition of the childrens tale Pinocchio, by Italian journalist and writer, Carlo Lorenzini Collodi (1826-1890)

Off to Fairyland by Muriel Dawson
A small child engrossed in a huge book of fairy tales

Madocs Voyage / America
Prince Madoc Ab Owain Gwynedd of Wales is said to have landed at Mobile Bay, Alabama in the 12th century, based on medieval texts and a Cherokee tale of people called Welsh

The Cat and the Mouse by Charles Folkard. Pray give me some bread. A fairy tale by Charles Perrault 1923

Cinderella by Arthur Rackham
Ella, aka Cinderella, in her beautiful gown, dancing with the Prince at the Ball. Date: 1919

Cinderella by Arthur Rackham
Ella, aka Cinderella, sitting in rags with a broom in her hand. Date: 1919

Sleeping Beauty by Arthur Rackham
An unsuccessful princely suitor tries to fight his way through the thicket of thorns surrounding the castle where Sleeping Beauty slumbers

The Winters Tale
Leontes is astonished by the lifelike nature of the statue of Hermione : Paulina, too, is enraptured

Vasilissa on her way to the Baba-Yaga - from a traditional Russian fairy tale Date: 1910

Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean. English folk or fairy tale that appeared in this form in 1734, and later became Jack and the Beanstalk. Date: Late 18th Century

Illustration, Sweetheart Roland -- The Maiden fetched the magic wand, and then she took her stepsisters head. Date: 1909

MURASAKI SHIKIBU (c. 978 - c. 1014). Japanese writer
MURASAKI SHIKIBU (c. 978 - c.1014). Japanese writer. Illustration of a court lady of the Heian period. Illustration of Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji), which chronicles the life of Prince Genji

Scene from the Chushingura, the Japanese tale of the 47 Ronin (or 47 Samurai)
JAPAN: CHUSHINGURA. Scene from the Chushingura, the Japanese tale of the 47 Ronin (or 47 Samurai). Print shows a person in a sedan chair leaving a residential compound

Thumbelina flies off with her Fairy Prince
Thumbelina meets the Fairy Prince and flies off with him, and they live Happily Ever After. Illustration to a fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen, first published 1835

Thumbelina flies away on the Swallows back
Thumbelina escapes from the Field Mouse and the Mole on the back of the Swallow. Illustration to a fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen, first published 1835

Thumbelina kisses the Swallow goodbye
Thumbelina stands on tiptoe and kisses the Swallow goodbye. Illustration to a fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen, first published 1835

Scenery for Aladdin, Pollocks Toy Theatre, with two rounded arches opening onto a seascape. Date: late 19th century

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In a world where imagination knows no bounds, tales come alive through the strokes of a brush and the words on a page. From chilling ghost stories to enchanting fairy tales, each tale weaves its own magical spell. Alfred Bestall's "The Ghost Story" transports us to a realm of spine-tingling suspense, where specters lurk in the shadows and secrets whisper in the wind. Richard Dadd's masterpiece, "The Fairy Fellers Master-Stroke, " unveils an intricate world filled with tiny creatures and ethereal beauty. "The Pardoner's Tale" by Chaucer takes us on a moral journey through greed and redemption, while Jules Verne's Nautilus submarine artwork invites us to explore uncharted depths beneath the sea. Georgie Porgie dances across nursery rhymes, leaving mischief in his wake. Pauline Baynes' illustration of Hansel and Gretel captures both their innocence and their bravery as they navigate through an enchanted forest. As we embark on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales with pilgrims on the road, we witness diverse characters sharing their stories along this timeless pilgrimage. Meanwhile, Edward Lear enchants us with "The Owl and The Pussycat, " whisking them away in a romantic boat ride under moonlit skies. Florence Mary Anderson's haunting painting of "The Moonchild" evokes mystery and wonderment as celestial beings dance among stars. The Market Cross at Devizes stands tall as a symbol of history etched into stone for generations to admire. Finally, Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty ballet reawakens our senses with its grandeur; from Aurora’s slumber to her triumphant awakening amidst swirling melodies that transport audiences into realms beyond reality itself. These they are more than mere stories; they are windows into worlds unseen yet felt deep within our souls. They remind us that within every stroke of artistry lies an invitation to escape, to dream, and to believe in the extraordinary.