What day of the month is it - he said turning to Alice 1907

Charles Robinson drew this image for Lewis Carroll's *Alice's Adventures in Wonderland*, sometime around the turn of the century. It depicts the Mad Hatter's tea party, a moment in the story when Alice finds herself in a world where the normal conventions of politeness and logic are upended, one that questions the strictures of English etiquette. The story was written at a time when the British Empire was at its height and notions of hierarchy and social order were beginning to be questioned. The image creates meaning through exaggeration. Robinson's exaggerated drawing style and the topsy-turvy setting suggests a critique of the rigid social structure of Victorian England. The Mad Hatter, with his absurd question about the date, embodies a rejection of the conventional passage of time and the emphasis on schedule. To better understand this artwork we might explore its publishing history, the artist's other work and the critical reception of Carroll's book. Ultimately, the image reveals how art is produced, distributed and understood within specific cultural and historical contexts.