A Golden Age Vision: Willy Pogány’s Tanglewood Tales

In the early years of the twentieth century, a Hungarian artist arrived in London and found himself perfectly positioned to ride the wave of a publishing phenomenon. Arthur Rackham’s Rip Van Winkle had just ignited the public’s appetite for lavishly illustrated gift books, and a young, ambitious illustrator named Willy Pogány seized the moment. Among the works that emerged from this fertile period was his 1909 edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Tanglewood Tales—a volume that remains one of the most exquisite interpretations of Greek mythology ever produced .

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864), the celebrated author of The Scarlet Letter, turned his considerable literary talents to children’s literature in the 1850s with A Wonder Book and its sequel, Tanglewood Tales . Both volumes retold classic Greek myths for young readers, framed within the charming narrative of Eustace Bright, a college student who shares these ancient stories with a group of children gathered at Tanglewood, a country estate . The six tales in this volume—The Minotaur, The Pygmies, The Dragon’s Teeth, Circe’s Palace, The Pomegranate Seeds, and The Golden Fleece—remain among the most beloved introductions to Greek mythology in the English language.

Willy Pogány (1882–1955) was born Vilmos Feichtmann in Szeged, Hungary. He studied in Budapest, Munich, and Paris before arriving in London in 1906, where he quickly established himself as a distinctive new voice in illustration . His style, heavily influenced by Art Nouveau, is characterized by sinuous lines, dreamy pastel scenes, and meticulous attention to botanical detail . He often worked in pen and ink, watercolor, and oil, creating illustrations that featured mythical animals, nymphs, pixies, and the elegant, elongated figures that became his trademark.

Pogány’s Tanglewood Tales, published by T. Fisher Unwin in 1909, showcases his early mastery. The book contains four full-page color plates, along with numerous black-and-white illustrations, decorative borders, and intricate initials that weave throughout the text. Pogány approached each page as a unified composition, his illustrations seamlessly integrated with Hawthorne’s prose. His color palette is warm and luminous—soft golds, deep greens, gentle blues—evoking the sun-drenched landscapes of ancient Greece while remaining grounded in the decorative elegance of Art Nouveau.

What distinguishes Pogány’s work is his ability to balance classical themes with modern sensibility. His heroes—Theseus, Jason, Ulysses—are rendered with idealized grace, yet they possess a humanity that makes them approachable. His monsters—the Minotaur, the dragons, the giants—are fearsome but never gratuitously grotesque. His women—Circe, Medea, Persephone—possess a quiet dignity that elevates them above mere archetypes. And throughout, his decorative borders and marginal drawings create a sense of abundance, of a world overflowing with beauty and wonder.

The book appeared during a period of intense creativity for Pogány. Between 1908 and 1913, he produced a quartet of masterpieces: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1910), Tannhauser (1911), Parsifal (1912), and Lohengrin (1913)—each designed completely by the artist, from covers and endpapers to calligraphic text and tipped-in plates . Yet his Tanglewood Tales remains a particular treasure—a work that captures the spirit of Hawthorne’s retellings while establishing the visual language that would define Pogány’s career.

Today, first editions of Pogány’s Tanglewood Tales are highly prized by collectors. The book is recognized as a key work of the Golden Age of Illustration, a period when artists like Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, and Kay Nielsen transformed the illustrated gift book into a major art form. Pogány, who emigrated to America in 1914 and went on to design sets for the Metropolitan Opera and Hollywood films, would enjoy a long and prolific career . Yet his early Tanglewood Tales remains a touchstone—a volume where ancient myth and modern art meet, and where a young illustrator, newly arrived in London, announced himself as a master of his craft.

In the pages of this book, Hawthorne’s words find their perfect visual counterpart. Theseus slays the Minotaur, Jason sails in search of the Golden Fleece, Ulysses outwits Circe—each scene rendered with a grace and elegance that has captivated readers for over a century. It is a vision of mythology that lingers in the imagination, a reminder that the greatest illustrated books are those that, like the tales themselves, transcend their time.

Recommended for Collectors

• The Wonder Book (1910) by Hawthorne, illustrated by Pogany – A companion volume of Greek myths
• D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths (1962) – A mid-century illustrated counterpart

Art Gallery: Willy Pogany – Tanglewood Tales 1909