This week’s discovery is a French/British illustrator by the name Edmund Dulac (1882-1953). I stumbled upon an illustration on Substack (thank you,
) and I later searched for more information.The children books illustrated by Dulac are just splendidly crafted, and I would absolutely adore to get my hands on one. Because of his splendid rendering, he became a representative figure in the Golden Age of Illustration, along with art giants like Charles Dana Gibson (the creator of the Gibson Girl <3), Beatrix Potter (the heart behind Peter Rabbit <3), Leyendecker (my absolute love for his rendering is uncompared), N.C. Wyeth and Maxfield Parrish.
But Dulac has completely slipped away from me, and so I went on a deep-dive, as I love to do. All images are from WikiArt:
He also illustrated my favorite fairytales, the ones by Hans Christian Andersen. I don’t know why I’ve had a soft spot for them since 2nd grade.
But the most surprising thing I stumbled upon was that Dulac illustrated a children’s book, A Dreamer of Dreams, written by Queen Mary of Romania in 1915. 1

A weird feeling flooded me as I was studying these works. It’s sort of a nostalgia for the moment before technology became this huge part of our lives. I actually remember how life was before the internet, which was around the age of 15.
Of course there are a lot of factors that influence this but I remember that, even with all the inevitable teenager drama I had, or the noise around me, I had clarity in my head and heart.
Was it the definition of ignorance is bliss? I don’t know. It was a time when I read the most books (ever), I could start a book in the morning and finish it by night. And I was drawing a lot, just because I felt like it, just for me, there was no pressure, other than finding a perfect moment when nobody would disturb me. I was listening to music like a maniac on drugs.
I had to rush home to answer an email, and that instance was rare. I could browse the internet, but mainly it happened on the weekends (and I shared a desktop with my siblings, and being the youngest… I had to fight for my right to party).
And I had time to wonder and daydream. Yes, I was a kid, but still. I had the mind-space for it.
Now, it seems that even when I shut my phone off, it’s still in my head. It’s never-ending, the white noise. I wonder what happened with X? What year was this? Hm, I need that recipe. I should research what face cream before I buy it. Maybe the jeans I wanted are back in stock.
It’s absolutely mental. I’ve been dragging The Fellowship of the Ring since December, and still haven’t finished it. So besides the constant brain-fog, I have a constant shame that I am twice the age and half the person I was when I was 15.
My brain, that’s the only thing I miss from that time. I need to get it back.
I found here a beautiful edition: https://www.pookpress.co.uk/shop/dreamer-of-dreams-edmund-dulac/
I'm so happy you covered this artist and that his work brings you such fond memories. He created such whimsical illustrations and I'll have to check out the book by the Queen of Romania-- I've never heard of that one. Thanks for the piece!
Thanks for giving me smth to search online for and learn about. Also 🩷 for the reminder of days when too i read a book a day, that memory brings me joy