By day she made herself into a cat 1920

Arthur Rackham created this illustration, “By day she made herself into a cat,” using ink and watercolor on paper. The image is characterized by meticulous line work, made possible by the printmaking process. Rackham was a master of illustration during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was known for his distinct style, blending elements of Art Nouveau and influences from the Arts and Crafts movement. Rackham's expertise lay in using line, wash, and silhouette, to create intricate details and a sense of depth on paper. In this piece, the texture of the cat’s fur, the roughness of the tree bark, and the sky, all demonstrate Rackham’s mastery. While this image is not ‘craft’ in the typical sense, it represents the hand-made quality that was essential to book production at the time. His images would have been carefully transferred to printing plates, using techniques like etching or wood engraving. This image serves as a reminder of the skill involved in the making process, before the advent of digital reproduction.