More particularly, I would like to share the beautiful old storybooks illustrated by Virginia Francis Sterrett, American artist and illustrator. At the time of her death from tuberculosis, aged 30, the following tribute was made of her work: "She made pictures of haunting loveliness, suggesting
Oriental lands she never saw and magical realms no one ever knew except in the
dreams of childhood..." Her pictures seem to tell a story all their own.
Virginia Francis Sterrett
"Rosalie"
Old French Tales (Penn Publishing Company) is one of her best-known illustrative works. To get a feel of the book, flip through a copy online HERE. Even the chapter headings are inspirational: "The Forest of Lilacs", "The Fairy Detestable" and "The Lark and the Toad".
Virginia Francis Sterrett
"Europa and the Bull"
Sterrett illustrated two other books of tales, Tanglewood Tales(Penn Publishing Company) and her own interpretation of Arabian Nights before her death in 1931. The illustrations may be viewed HERE. All images displayed in this post are from the same source. Artsy Craftsy offers downloads of several illustrations. For this prompt, choose an illustration and write a story poem based on it. Your story may be entirely original, or in the case of well-known literary characters, a re-telling of a popular tale.
