The King’s only daughter had been carried off by a Dragon 

Arthur Rackham made this pen and ink drawing, titled 'The King’s only daughter had been carried off by a Dragon'. In Britain at the turn of the 20th century, popular culture embraced images of fairy tales and folklore. Rackham's image encapsulates this interest. The dragon is in flight, carrying the limp princess far from her castle. I’m struck by the way Rackham blends traditional images of medieval romance with emerging aesthetic interests in the symbolism of the Pre-Raphaelites and Art Nouveau. Rackham's work can be understood as a conservative interpretation of popular stories, yet his work speaks to a modern audience through its distinctive style. It's a style developed through formal art education, as well as the popular illustrative press. To understand this artwork better, we need to delve into these histories, reading widely and looking at similar images of the period. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.