Rumpelstiltskin 1921

Margaret Evans Price made this illustration of Rumpelstiltskin, the famous fairytale character. While the artwork is undated, Price was working at the turn of the century, during a period when many female artists contributed to the Golden Age of Illustration. She has chosen a crucial scene from the Brothers Grimm story. We see the miller’s daughter seated at the spinning wheel, with the eponymous imp gleefully entering the room. The room is awash with the straw she has been tasked to spin into gold. Price’s illustrations frequently depicted children and fairytale characters and were popular with a burgeoning market for children’s books. With the professionalization of art training, the art world was more accessible than ever to female artists, who had previously been excluded from official institutions. Price worked as both a fine artist and a commercial artist. It is interesting to explore the different venues in which women worked and their motivations, often shaped by economic necessity.