Walter Crane

The Frog Prince and Other Stories Walter Crane

Princess Belle-Etoile was originally a French story written by Baroness d'Aulnoy who coined the term "fairy tale." It tells of an exiled queen who brings up her three daughters in poverty. An old woman visits them one day and they show her great kindness and hospitality. She, being a fairy, rewards them with boons. The rest of the story follows the adventures of the three sisters. Alladin and the Wonderful Lamp is another old favorite featured here. Though the story is set in "an Eastern city" the illustrations seem to follow an Asian theme but are nevertheless very charming. Walter Crane was an art scholar and artist who had made a detailed study of many artistic traditions like the Japanese and European. His father was a well-known portrait painter. Walter himself was inspired by ancient artistic traditions and also worked diligently to bring art to the common masses.