LHI: Google Doodle honoured the British illustrator and artist, Sir John Tenniel, on his 200th birthday on Friday (February 28, 2020). Tenniel is one of the most highly-regarded Victorian illustrators and painters, and best remembered for bringing to life the characters of Lewis Carroll’s timeless ‘Alice in Wonderland’ series.
Today’s doodle shows the conversation between Cheshire Cat and Alice. In the book, a lost Alice asks the cat, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” Cheshire Cat replies, “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”
Born in London on February 28, 1820, Tenniel was knighted for his artistic achievements in 1893. At the age of 20, Tenniel lose the sight in his right eye due to an accident.
Tenniel studied at the Royal Academy schools and sent his first picture to the exhibition of the Society of British Artists, in 1836. Later, he contributed a 16-foot cartoon to a design competition for mural decoration of the new Palace of Westminster and received £100 and a commission for a fresco in the Upper Waiting Hall at the House of Lords.
Fondly remembered as the principal political cartoonist for “Punch” magazine and illustrator for Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” (1865) and “Through the Looking-Glass” (1872), his works are subtle and well-suited to the text, which won him a global audience.
Tenniel’s cartoons secured his fame, but it was his illustrations for “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” made him a household name. Tenniel was introduced to Carroll in 1864, when he agreed to create 42 illustrations.
Bureau Report
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