Arthur Rackham Illustration Wall Art

If you love vintage book illustrations I would love to formally introduce you to Arthur Rackham. I chose his renditions of Alice in Wonderland to grace the walls of my dining room. Today I’m going to show how I used Arthur Rackham illustrations as wall art in my own home. And how you can too!

Two vintage Arthur Rackham illustrations in floating gold frames hanging on a dark blue wall in my dining room. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland illustrations.

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Create an Art Print of Beautiful Illustrations by a Renowned English Book Illustrator

There are a few illustrators from the Golden Age of British Book illustration that really stand out. Arthur Rackham’s illustrations are noted for their pen and ink drawings, combined with the use of watercolor. Which is a technique he developed due to his background as a journalistic illustrator.

You can purchase his beautiful work in as expensive prints like on a canvas print, or even as a wall calendar. But today I want to show you a cheaper alternative by creating Arthur Rackham wall art made easy with a few free printables.

Although he has hundreds of gorgeous watercolor illustrations to choose from, this post will be emphasizing his Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland works.


Watch this on Youtube:

Vintage Arthur Rackham Illustrations

During his career, he illustrated many works, though he is best known for his rendition of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens by J.M.Barrie.

I recently picked up a copy of A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys by Nathaniel Hawthorne with several works of fairy tale illustration throughout.

A few of his other more popular works include

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Arthur Rackham, vintage illustrations hanging on my dining room wall in IKEA acrylic vintage floating frames.

Supplies

The supply list is quite small for these DIY Wall Art Prints of Rackham’s illustrations. Therefore making this charming DIY decor all the more enticing.

Step One – Subscribe to Download the 14 Free PDF Art Prints – Available in 2 Different Sizes

There are two different options, the 5×7″ prints are only available in the Subscriber Library itself. This download is 8 1/2x 11″ prints. Feel free to check out the library for the other option and remember they’re for personal use only!

illustrations of Alice in Wonderland by

Arthur Rackham

This printable is for personal use only. However, feel free to share this post with friends and family so they can have these amazing timeless illustrations, too! The download will come with all 14 charming illustrations. The Library has an option of 5×7″ (approx.) and 8 1/2″ x 11 “. This download is the full page 8 1/2 x 11”

These printables are available as a free download in the Wonderland Subscriber Library. By simply entering your email address and subscribing you get full access. Please remember these are for personal use only.

Alice and the deck of cards, Alice at the tea party with the mad hatter and march Hare. Two vintage illustrations by Arthur Rackham hanging in vintage style gold frames on my dining room wall.

Step Two – Printing Instructions for the Free PDF Art Prints

While Arthur Rackham has literally hundreds of gorgeous illustrations, today I’m focusing on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll.

I have always been an avid fan of Alice and Lewis Caroll’s works. And I believe these will be gorgeous hanging in my dining room.

Print Instructions for the 8×11″ & 5×7″ Arthur Rackham Art Prints

  1. Open the file in Adobe Acrobat.
  2. Settings: Hit “Size”, Select “Shrink Oversize Pages”, Portrait.
  3. Choose to print in color.
  4. Print one page at a time to ensure quality and settings are correct.

Note: I recommend printing them on 80 lb cardstock, but they work great on any type of paper. Also, if you were to print on high-quality matte photo paper they would look spectacular. However, I didn’t have any on hand.

Step Three – Framing Your Arthur Rackham Art Prints

There are hundreds of framing options to create gorgeous, charming, vintage wall art. However, I had the privilege of purchasing a few beautiful gold floating frames from IKEA this year.

If you don’t have an IKEA available (mine is 4 hours away!) and cannot ship them to you, these TLBTEK Brass Hanging Photo Frames look to be a similar style and size.

Alice and the deck of cards and the Tea party with the Mad Hatter and March Hare. Two vintage illustrations by Arthur Rackham in vintage style metal floating frames hanging on my wall in my dining room.

How to Frame Your Arthur Rackham Art Prints

  1. Cut out your art prints using either sharp scissors or a guillotine paper cutter.
  2. Use a small piece of double-sided tape to attach it to the back glass of your floating frame.
  3. Close the frame up and admire your beautiful new art!

Step Four – Hanging Your Arthur Rackham Art Print as Wall Decor

I already had my hanging spot chosen before I even printed these beautiful prints out. After having recently renovated my dining room I knew I needed just the right art for the walls.

Arthur Rackham illustrated Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Those two illustrations of the deck of cards and tea party hang above a stack of vintage picnic baskets in my dining room.

If you’re only hanging one then there isn’t much to consider. However, if you plan to hang multiples or even a gallery wall you may want to put some consideration into the process before you start making holes in the wall!

How to Quickly & Easily Hang Multiple Pieces of Art on the Wall

  1. First, choose the place your art will be displayed.
  2. Then, measure for symmetrical placement, width, and height of the spot.
  3. Also, don’t forget to mark your spot lightly with a pencil.
  4. Then trace the frames onto paper and cut out those tracings.
  5. Use the tracings to arrange proper placement on the wall.
  6. Don’t forget to include measurements for the chain, if it applies.

A Short Bio of Arthur Rackham: A Great Artist

Rackham (19 September 1867 – 6 September 1939) was born in London as one of 12 children.

Arthur Rackham illustration as a self portrait painted by himself.

In 1884, at the age of 17, he was sent on an ocean voyage to Australia to improve his fragile health, accompanied by two aunts.[2] At the age of 18, he worked as a clerk at the Westminster Fire Office and began studying part-time at the Lambeth School of Art.[3]

In 1892, he left his job and started working for the Westminster Budget as a reporter and illustrator.

Wikipedia

Finally published in 1893, his first book illustrations were in, To the Other Side by Thomas Rhodes. He was widely known as an accomplished black-and-white book illustrator for the sheer skill of his work. Among a few other leading illustrators of the same era.

Alice talking to the animals in a vintage arthur rackham illustration framed on my wall.

But it was the publication of his full color illustrations to Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle by Heinemann in 1905 that ultimately brought him to public attention.

The following year J.M.Barrie’s Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens finally confirmed his reputation.

A variety of publications and exhibitions spotlighted his works. One particularly impressive exhibition was at the Louvre in Paris in 1914.

Ultimately Arthur Rackham died of cancer in his home in 1939. The world lost a tremendously talented artist known for his fantasy illustration that day.

Alice in her pool of tears by arthur rackham. Vintage illustrations framed as wall art on my dining room walls.

FAQ

Arthur Rackham illustrated 90 volumes in his lifetime with the last one (The Wind in the Willows) being published posthumously in 1940.

Some of his most renowned works include Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Rip Van Winkle.

Arthur Rackham illustrated 90 volumes in his lifetime including the works of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, James Barrie, and Lewis Carroll. His last one (The Wind in the Willows) was published posthumously in 1940.

Arthur Rackham’s illustrations are noted for their pen and ink drawings, combined with the use of watercolor, not unlike a photographic reproduction. Which is a technique he developed due to his background as a journalistic illustrator.

The abundance and popularity of illustrated magazines and books between 1850 and 1925 are referred to as The Golden Age of Illustration.

In this Golden Age, American publishings were dripping with artwork that gave the public a great wealth of both information and entertainment.

Yes. Arthur Rackham’s illustrated works became a part of the public domain in 2010 along with works by Sigmund Freud, WB Yeats, and Ford Madox Ford.


Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope I have inspired you in some small way to find those lesser-known artists in the public domain. Just because they were from long ago does not mean that their work cannot be appreciated and used in our homes today.

This is just the first of many I hope to spotlight and share with you.

Julie

Meet the Author

Hi, I’m Julie! Mother to five beautiful kids, Homeschool Educator, Writer, Handicraft & DIY Enthusiast, Photographer, Thrifter, and Furniture Restorer. Follow along for fun DIY projects creating a handmade home on a budget! Read more about me here→

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