Willy Pogany – Illustrations for Tanglewood Tales 1909

William Andrew (“Willy”) Pogany (August 1882 – 30 July 1955) was a prolific Hungarian illustrator of children’s and other books. His contemporaries include C. Coles Phillips, Joseph Clement Coll, Edmund Dulac, Harvey Dunn, Walter Everett, Harry Rountree, Sarah Stilwell Weber, and N.C. Wyeth.

He is best known for his pen and ink drawings of myths and fables. A large portion of Pogany’s work is described as Art Nouveau. Pogany’s artistic style is heavily fairy-tale orientated and often feature motifs of mythical animals such as nymphs and pixies.

He paid great attention to botanical details. He used dreamy and warm pastel scenes with watercolors, oil paintings, and especially pen and ink. Painstakingly detailed and confident, Pogany’s pen and ink pieces portray the true extent of his talent.

Here is another book illustrated by Willy Pogany, one of my favorite Golden Age illustrator. Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne, first edition, published by T. Fisher Unwin, London, 1907. With many lovely colour and B/W illustrations by Pogany, he shines in his B/W illustrations, that I prefer  over his  watercolors, and here is a prime examples of why he’s figured among one of the best Golden Age Illustrators.

Art Gallery: Willy Pogany – Tanglewood Tales 1909