Make Believe And Reality

Artisan: Patricia Steele (Lakeside Miniatures)
Date: 2022
Dimensions: 25 x 20 x 3 mm. / 1 x ¾ x ⅞ inches (height x width x depth)
Inventory number: 2022.148
Intended Room: Day Nursery
Category: Books

Provenance: Purchased directly from the artist via eBay.

The original book was published in 1884, in London by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, and in New York by E. & J.B. Young & Co. The author and illustrator was ‘Richard André’, the pseudonym adopted by London-born William Roger Snow (1834-1907). Having had a somewhat colourful life, which involved frittering away a sizeable inheritance, infidelity, and abandoning his wife, Snow ended up changing his name twice to avoid scandal. It was as André that he developed a successful career as a children’s illustrator, often in collaboration with Juliana Horatia Ewing (1841-1885) – although the verses in the present book don’t seem to be hers. This miniature replica includes a facsimile of the charming dedication inside the front flyleaf: ‘Katie. March 25th 1887. With much love from Gertie and Minnie.’