The Bird of Shadow and the Sunbird - illustration to Fairies I Have Met 

Edmund Dulac made this illustration to Fairies I Have Met using watercolor and ink, probably in the early 20th century. In it, we see a young woman meeting a wizardly old man by a tree. Dulac was associated with the Golden Age of Illustration in Britain, a time when advancements in printing allowed for the mass production of high-quality illustrated books. His fairy-tale illustrations tap into long-standing cultural beliefs about the natural world as inhabited by spirits, beings, and forces beyond human understanding. Consider the role that institutions like publishing houses and art schools played in shaping Dulac's artistic style and career. The popularity of fairy tales also speaks to the societal values and anxieties of the time, as these stories often served as moral lessons or escapist fantasies. Art historians might examine printed ephemera and archival records to better understand the cultural significance of such fairy illustrations.