The Good Witch grants Dorothy’s Wiish 1900

William Wallace Denslow created this illustration, “The Good Witch grants Dorothy’s Wish,” for L. Frank Baum’s, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a children’s book published in 1900. Denslow's illustration gives visual form to Baum's story of self-discovery, and the journey of finding your way home. This was written at a time of great change for women in the United States. The women's suffrage movement was in full swing, advocating for women's right to vote and their place in society, and here comes Dorothy, a young woman who takes control of her own destiny. Look how Dorothy extends her hands forward, as if stepping into the unknown. Yet, surrounded by the Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow, she is not alone. There is an inherent emotionality in this image, from the Lion’s tears to the Tin Man’s oil, that invites us to consider the emotional lives of those who might feel like outsiders.