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Saturday, February 25, 2012

Maxfield Parrish



Maxfield Parrish (July 25, 1870 – March 30, 1966) was an American painter and illustrator active in the first half of the 20th century. He is known for his distinctive saturated hues and idealized neo-classical imagery.

His repertoire includes many prestigious projects, among which are Eugene Field's Poems of Childhood in 1904 (8 color plates) and The Arabian Nights in 1909 (12 color plates). Books illustrated by Parrish, in addition to those that include reproductions of Parrish's work—including A Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales in 1910 (10 color plates), The Golden Treasury of Songs and Lyrics in 1911 ( 8 color plates) and The Knave of Hearts in 1925 (with 23 color images)—are highly sought-after collectors' items.

Maxfield Parrish - The knave of hearts illustrations


 The Queen of Hearts
She made some tarts,
All on a summer's day;
The Knave of Hearts
He stole those tarts,
And took them clean away.

The King of Hearts
Called for the tarts,
And beat the knave full sore;
The Knave of Hearts
Brought back the tarts,
And vowed he'd steal no more.

Maxfield Parish - The Arabian Nights illustrations


King of the Black Isles by Maxfield Parrish

The young king was unable to restrain a tear