Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen (1872) – Illustrated by Eleanor Vere Boyle

This rare and enchanting 1872 edition of Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen features the delicate and evocative illustrations of Eleanor Vere Boyle, offering one of the earliest artistic interpretations of Andersen’s beloved stories. Published by Sampson Low, Marston, Low & Searle in London, the volume includes timeless tales such as The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen, The Nightingale, and The Ugly Duckling, each accompanied by Boyle’s ethereal watercolors and intricate ink drawings. Her artwork, imbued with a Pre-Raphaelite sensibility, captures the haunting beauty and emotional depth of Andersen’s narratives, blending romanticism with fairy-tale wonder. Boyle’s interpretation brought a new visual sensitivity to the stories, one that emphasized their tragic beauty and delicate emotional nuance.

A treasure for bibliophiles and fairy-tale enthusiasts, this Boyle-illustrated edition is a window into the Victorian imagination and the enduring magic of Andersen’s stories. Original copies with ornate floral stamping, are highly prized by collectors of 19th-century children’s literature.

About the Illustrator
Eleanor Vere Boyle (1825–1916), often signing her work as “EVB,” was one of the most accomplished female illustrators of the Victorian era. She came from an aristocratic background and pursued illustration with a quiet but passionate dedication, producing a relatively small but influential body of work. Her style is characterized by its Pre-Raphaelite influences—romantic, detailed, and richly symbolic. Boyle’s illustrations for Andersen’s tales are dreamlike and subtly tinted, rendered with a grace and restraint that heighten the emotional undercurrents of the stories. Her Little Mermaid, in particular, is often cited as one of the earliest and most affecting visual representations of the character.

Boyle’s work stands out not only for its artistic merit but also for the rare position she held as a respected woman illustrator at a time when the field was dominated by men. Her contributions helped establish a more lyrical and emotionally complex approach to fairy tale illustration.

Recommended for Collectors

• Beauty and the Beast (1875) illustrated by Eleanor Vere Boyle – Another of her fairy-tale masterpieces
• In Fairyland (1870), illustrated by Richard Doyle – An early and visually lavish fairy book from the Victorian era.
• Andersen’s Fairy Tales (1916) illustrated by Harry Clarke – For a darker, Art Nouveau-inspired contrast
• The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen (1889) illustrated by Vilhelm Pedersen – The first authorized Danish illustrations

Art Gallery: Eleanor Vere Boyle (E.V.B) – Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales 1872