Victorian Fairy Paintings

This section includes a special genre of fantasies that make abundant use of mushrooms to emphasize how close the world of fairies is to that of the mushrooms.

Click on any thumbnail below to enlarge.

Boyle, Eleanor Vere. British. 1825-1916

[a] Fairies Sitting On Two Flowers Or White Clitocyboid Mushrooms. 1872 Medium: Illustration to Thumbkinetta (H. C. Anderson’s fairy tale) Mushroom description: Possible white clitocyboid mushrooms Location: Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England Web: artmagick.com

• [b]
• But He Was Only Sunk in a Dream of Delight
• Medium: Illustration for the book, The Story without an End
• Reference: Carove, Friedrich Wilhelm and Austin, Sarah. The Story without an End. Columbia, SC: Camden House. 1995.
• Note: Originally published in German in 1930. Sarah Austin has translated the edition listed here, the most recent translation.

Cruikshank, George. British. 1792-1878

[a] A Fantasy — The Fairy Ring. ca. 1850 Medium: Unknown Mushroom description: Circle with raised edge of fairies?, with huge mushroom in center Location: British Museum, London Web: Photobucket Media: The Independent

• [b]
• A Fairy Dance
• Medium: Pen, ink, and watercolor; size: 26.8 x 42 cm.
• Mushroom description: Royal fairy couple seated on a large white mushroom, perhaps an Agaricus
• Location: Maas Gallery, London
• Reference: Woods, C. Fairies in Victorian Art. Woodbridge, U.K.: Antique Coll. Club. 2000.

Dadd, Richard. British. 1817-1887

[a] Puck. 1841 Medium: Oils on canvas; size: approximately 23 X 23 in. Mushroom description: A mature bolete Location: Private collection Reference: Woods, C. Fairies in Victorian Art. Woodbridge, U.K.: Antique Coll. Club. 2000. Note: Puck sitting on a toadstool originated with Sir Joshua Reynolds, who also painted a Puck for Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery. Web: Emory University

[b] Titania Sleeping Medium: Not available Mushroom description: Stylized cap mushrooms scattered on ground Location: The Louvre, Paris Reference: More on this painting at The Victorian Web Web: The Victorian Web

• [c]
• Contradiction: Oberon and Titania. 1854-8
• Medium: Oils on oval canvas; size: 61 x 75.5 cm.
• Mushroom description: Several tan agarics at Oberon’s feet
• Location: Collection of Lord Lloyd-Webber
• Reference: Woods, C. Fairies in Victorian Art. Woodbridge, U.K.: Antique Coll. Club. 2000.

Danby, Francis. British. 1793-1861

• Scene From a Midsummer Night's Dream. 1832
• Medium: Watercolors; size: 19.7 x 29.0 cm.
• Mushroom description:
• Location: Oldham Art Gallery, Lancashire, UK.
• Reference: Woods, C. Fairies in Victorian Art. Woodbridge, U.K.: Antique Coll. Club. 2000.
• Web: http://faeriefae.50megs.com

Doyle, Richard. British. 1824-1883

[a] The Triumphal March of the Elf King Medium: Lithograph Mushroom description: Several light tan campanulate agarics in grass Location: Unknown Web: The Victorian Web

[b] Fairy Rings and Toadstools Medium: Lithograph Mushroom description: Russula-like mushrooms with fairies dancing around them Location: Unknown Web: The Victorian Web

[c] He Finds Her And This Is The Consequence Medium: Lithograph Mushroom description: Two fairies kissing across a Russsula-like mushroom Location: Unknown Web: The Victorian Web

• [d]
• An Elfin Dance By Night
• Medium: Lithograph
• Mushroom description: Several campanulate mushrooms
• Location: Unknown
• Web: The Victorian Web

• [e]
• Reposing by Night
• Mushroom description: Large, maybe Leccinum
• Location: Unknown
• Web: The Victorian Web

• [f]
• Fairy School
• Medium: Engraving; size: 27.5 x 38 cm.
• Mushroom description: Fairies dancing around stipitate mushrooms
• Location: Unknown

Fitzgerald, John Anster. English. 1819?–1906

The Intruders Medium: Illustration in watercolors; size: 37 x 29 cm. Mushroom description: A single Amanita muscaria with fairies and animals Location: Unknown Reference: Woods, C. Fairies in Victorian Art. Woodbridge, U.K.: Antique Coll. Club. 2000.

Fortescue-Brickdale, Eleanor. British

• The Introduction
• Medium: Pencil and watercolors; size: 48.8 x 32.2 cm.
• Mushroom description: Two agarics in foreground
• Location: Unknown
• Reference: Woods, C. Fairies in Victorian Art. Woodbridge, U.K.: Antique Coll. Club. 2000.

Gresley, Harold. British. Derby 1882-1967

• The Gnome’s Repast
• Medium: Watercolors on paper; size: 35.30 x 27.5 cm.
• Mushroom description: Gnomes sitting at an Agaricus table, on Agaricus chairs
• Location: Private collection
• Web: Leicester Galleries

Heatherly, Thomas. British

[a] Fairy Seated on a Mushroom. ca. 1860 Shape: Oval Mushroom description: Stylized large mushrooms Location: Unknown Web: Wikigallery

• [b]
• Fairies Among Mushrooms
• Medium: Oils on canvas; size: 19.7 x 27 cm.
• Mushroom description: Fairy reposing on a large blue-green agaric with another agaric showing gills in background
• Location: Unknown
• Reference: Woods, C. Fairies in Victorian Art. Woodbridge, U.K.: Antique Coll. Club. 2000.

[c] Fairy Resting on a Mushroom Medium: Oil on canvas; size: 19.7 x 27 cm. Mushroom description: Large, flat topped blue-gray mushroom Location: Private collection Web: Flickr

Hunt, William Holman. British. 1827–1910

• Valentine rescuing Sylvia from Proteus. 1851
• Medium: Oils on canvas
• Mushroom description: Several capped mushrooms in right foreground
• Location: City Art Gallery, Birmingham, UK.
• Reference: Betthausen. Die Präraffaeliten. Berlin. 1989.
• Web: Olga's Gallery

Ichuko, Azuma Higashi. Japanese, active 1984.

Goblin. 1984 Note: Added here because of style Medium: Unknown; size: 44.2 x 32 cm. Mushroom description: Goblin jumping over stylized capped mushroom Location: Fairy Art Museum, Tokyo Web: http://www.bridgemanart.com/image.aspx?key=203988&lang=en-gb

Jacobs, Helen. British. Ilford, 1888-1970

• [a]
• The Fairy Market
• Medium: Pen and ink, watercolors with gouache on paper; size: 21.6 x 30 cm.
• Mushroom description: Agaricus scattered on the ground
• Location: Private collection
• Reference: Bridgeman Library

• [b]
• Title: Elves Mice-racing
• Medium: Ink and watercolor on paper; size: 24.8 x 18.6 cm.
• Mushroom description: Agarics (Cortinarius?) covering the foreground
• Location: Private collection
• Web: Online Galleries

James, Laura Gwenllian. British.

• Where the Fairies Dance in a Place Apart. 1905
• Medium: Oils on panel; size: 29.8 x 22.8 cm.
• Mushroom description: Agarics (part of a ring) in a row
• Location: Unknown
• Reference: Woods, C. Fairies in Victorian Art. Woodbridge, U.K.: Antique Coll. Club. 2000.

Kinnard, Frederick G. British. Worked 1864-81

• The Four Seasons. Spring.
• Medium: Oil on board; size: 17.7 x 5.2 cm.
• Location: Private collection
• Mushroom description: Two fairy children under capped mushrooms
• Web: Bridgeman Art Gallery

Millais, John Everett. British. 1829-1886

• Ferdinand Lured by Ariel. 1849-50
• Medium: Oils
• Location: Private collection, London
• Mushroom description: Tree trunk with Trametes gibbosa and capped mushrooms, right background
• Reference: Betthausen. Die Präraffaeliten. Berlin. 1989.
• Web: Endicott Studio

Morgan, Walter Jenks. British. 1847-1924

• A Fairy Ring
• Medium: Watercolor with white heightening on paper; size: 15.5 x 23 cm.
• Location: Unknown
• Mushroom description: Fairies sitting and standing on a fairy ring of large, flat capped agarics
• Web: The Victorian Web

Paton, Joseph Noel. Scottish. 1821-1901

• [a]
• The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania. 1849
• Medium: Oils on canvas
• Mushroom description: Several prominent mushrooms
• Location: National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
• Web: Emory University

• [b]
• The Reconciliation of Oberon and Titania
• Medium: Oils on canvas
• Mushroom description: Several prominent mushrooms with squamous caps in middle foreground
• Location: National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
• Reference: Illustr. C. Woods, Fairies in Victorian Art. 2000. Woodbridge, U.K.: Antique Coll. Club
• Web: Emory University

• [c]
• Fairy Music or Bonny Kilmeny
• Medium: Oils on board; size: 37.5 cm in diameter
• Mushroom description: Two agarics in middle background
• Location: Unknown
• Reference: Woods, C. Fairies in Victorian Art. Woodbridge, U.K.: Antique Coll. Club. 2000.

• [d]
• Puck and the Fairy
• Medium: Oils on card; size: 24.2 x 28 cm.
• Mushroom description: Russula with split cap in left foreground
• Location: Chris Beetles, Ltd., London
• Reference: Woods, C. Fairies in Victorian Art. Woodbridge, U.K.: Antique Coll. Club. 2000.

• [e]
• The Fairy Raid. Carrying Off a Changeling, Midsummer Eve
• Medium: Oils on canvas; size: 90.5 x 146.7 cm.
• Location: Glasgow Museums: Art Gallery and Museums, Kelvingrove
• Mushroom description: Two possible Russulas in foreground
• Reference: Woods, C. Fairies in Victorian Art. Woodbridge, U.K.: Antique Coll. Club. 2000.

Rackham, Arthur. British. 1867-1939

• [a]
• Come, Now a Roundel. 1908
• Mushroom description: Mushroom fairy ring with fairies dancing in a circle around it
• Location: Unknown
• Web: Endicott Studio

• [b]
• Puck and the Fairy
• Medium: Oils on card; size: 24.2 x 28 cm.
• Mushroom description: Russula with split cap in left foreground
• Reference: Woods, C. Fairies in Victorian Art. Woodbridge, U.K.: Antique Coll. Club. 2000.
• Web: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bestpriceart. com/thumb/150x150/cgfa_paton3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bestpriceart.com/search/%3Fcri%3Dartists%26ust%3DSir%2520Joseph%2520Noel%2520Paton&h=139&w=150&sz=9&tbnid=67HZ2E_1J4hZFM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=90&hl=en&start=2&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpaton%2Bjoseph%2B%2Bpuck%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG

Reynolds, Sir Joshua. British. Plympton 1723-London 1792.

• Puck. 1789
• Medium: Oils
• Mushroom description: Forest scene with several cap mushrooms on the ground
• Location: Illustration from the The Book of Fairies
• Web: http://www.emory.edu/ENGLISH/classes/Shakespeare_Illustrated/Reynolds.Puck.html

Spilsbury, Maria. British. 1777-1823

• Where Mortal Thing Might Never Breathe
• Medium: Watercolor on paper; size: 32.5 x 23.5 cm.
• Mushroom description: Fairy under a mature Coprinus comatus, next to an immature one
• Location: Fairy Art Museum, Tokyo
• Web: http://www.bridgeman.co.uk/search/s_results.asp?search=203941 &order=0&stype=all&page=&view=2

Tarrant, Winifred M. British. 1888-1959

• A Fairy Band
• Medium: Watercolor; size: 49.2 x 61.8 cm.
• Mushroom description: A fairy leading a band standing on a ringless Amanita muscaria
• Location: Collection of Averil and Barry Miles
• Reference: Woods, C. Fairies in Victorian Art. Woodbridge, U.K.: Antique Coll. Club. 2000.

Wilson, George. British. 1848-1890

• The Spring Witch. 1883-84
• Medium: ?
• Mushroom description (by J. M. Toohey): "A group of perhaps six perhaps mushrooms in the lower left-hand corner, next to a stump with assorted foliage about. Lactarius? Short stipes, convex to sunken caps with inrolled margins on some, and gills may be attached, reddish-brown tones, that did not seem typical, artist's prerogative, I suspect."
• Location: Delaware Art Museum
• Reference: Delaware Art Museum. Jeanette M. Toohey, Associate Curator for Collections. 1995
• Web: http://www.preraph.org/searchresults.php?artist=George+Wilson&class=painting

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