15 Breathtaking Illustrations Of Fairy Tales From The 1920s

Long, long ago, things were really beautiful.

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1. Once upon a time, there were lovely trees.

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Puss in Boots introduces himself to the princess.

(Harry Clarke, 1922)

2. There were inky eyes whose gaze you could still follow.

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Cinderella looks at her mother's portrait.

(Arthur Rackham, 1919)

3. There were vivid fabrics.

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Cinderella fixes her stepmother's hair before the ball.

(Harry Clarke, 1922)

4. Flowers were made of dots and lines.

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After thinking she wouldn't be able to go at all, Cinderella sets off for the ball in her enchanted coach.

(Harry Clarke, 1922)

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5. Dresses were geometric.

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Cinderella enters the ball.

(John Austen, 1922)

6. The silhouettes had parties together.

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The prince dances with Cinderella at the royal ball.

(Arthur Rackham, 1919)

7. Colors were never as exquisite as the absence of color.

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Cinderella flees the ball.

(Arthur Rackham, 1919)

8. Feet were impossibly delicate.

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The prince finds Cinderella's slipper.

(Harry Clarke, 1922)

9. Robes never seemed to end.

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He returns the slipper.

(Harry Clarke, 1922)

10. Beards were reaching new heights of curliness.

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The wife-slayer Bluebeard demands that his bride return the key she wasn't supposed to use.

(John Austen, 1922)

11. Boys flew through black skies.

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Little Thumb (Tom Thumb) carries a message to the king in his magic boots.

(Harry Clarke, 1922)

12. Even the ugly were strangely beautiful.

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Angry at the princess' parents, the wicked fairy curses the baby to die by a spindle prick in "Sleeping Beauty."

(Arthur Rackham, 1920)

13. Babies had the tiniest faces.

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After the wicked fairy curses the baby, a good fairy softens the curse to 100 years of sleep.

(Harry Clarke, 1922)

14. Getting caught in brambles looked elegant.

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The prince fights through the thorns surrounding the sleeping princess' castle.

(Arthur Rackham, 1920)

15. And a happy ending was just behind the brilliantly green curtains.

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Sleeping Beauty awakens to her prince.

(John Austen, 1922)

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