There may not be fairies at the bottom of the garden, but there are certainly plenty of the fey creatures flittering beguilingly amongst the shelves of the National Library of Australia. The otherworldliness and magical abilities of these winged humanoids make them perfect subjects for illustrated children's books, and there are a plethora of such books in the Library's collections. The image of a fairy which most often inhabits such tomes is of beautiful creatures with child-like countenances, flowing hair, ballerina costumes and gossamer wings. Such depictions were made popular in Australia by the likes of Ida Rentoul Outhwaite and Pixie O'Harris, whose works are well-represented in the collection. However, amongst the diaphanous, the cute and the twee, there are also more surrealistic and darker interpretations of fairy-kind.
展开▼
