The Man and his Image (1900)

Percy J. Billinghurst prints are lively black-and-white drawings of animals behaving very much like people: rats holding a council, a grasshopper begging from an ant, a tortoise flying between two ducks. Billinghurst was an English illustrator of animal books around 1900. Our collection of fine art prints includes his drawings for A Hundred Fables of La Fontaine and his own A Hundred Anecdotes of Animals.

About Percy J. Billinghurst

Percy J. Billinghurst was an English illustrator, active in London around 1897 to 1900. One source gives his dates as 1871 to 1933, though that is not confirmed elsewhere. Little else is recorded about his life and training.

He is known for a small group of animal books published by John Lane at The Bodley Head in London and New York. They include A Hundred Fables of La Fontaine (1900), an edition of Aesop's fables with an introduction by Kenneth Grahame, and A Hundred Anecdotes of Animals (1901), which he both wrote and illustrated, with about a hundred drawings.

Style and Subjects

Billinghurst drew in crisp black ink, with bold outlines, careful cross-hatching and plenty of white space, a style suited to book printing. His animals are drawn with real knowledge of how they look and move, but they act out the fables with clear, human expressions and gestures.

Each drawing is a small stage: a hare and a partridge, a cat and two sparrows, mice and an owl. The humour is gentle, and the strong black-and-white design makes the pictures striking on a wall.

Famous Works

• A Hundred Fables of La Fontaine (title page) (1900). The book of fables that holds many of his best drawings.
• The Grasshopper and the Ant (1900). La Fontaine's opening fable about saving for winter.
• The Council Held by the Rats (1900). The rats debate who will bell the cat.
• The Oak and the Reed (1900). The mighty oak falls while the bending reed survives.
• The Tortoise and the Two Ducks (1900). The tortoise that wanted to fly.
• The Animals Sick of the Plague (1900). One of La Fontaine's sharpest fables about power and blame.
• A Hundred Anecdotes of Animals, plate 1 (1901). From his own book of a hundred short animal stories.

Decorating with Billinghurst Prints

Billinghurst's fables are perfect for a child's room, nursery or playroom, and they make a clever set for a library or reading nook. Choose fables with a message you like, or group them by animal.

The black-and-white drawings work in almost any colour scheme and look especially crisp against white, grey or pale green walls. Hang them in a grid of thin black frames with white mats for a smart, graphic look in a hallway or study.

FAQ

Who was Percy J. Billinghurst?

An English illustrator active around 1897–1900, known for his animal drawings for La Fontaine's and Aesop's fables and for A Hundred Anecdotes of Animals.

What books did Billinghurst illustrate?

A Hundred Fables of La Fontaine (1900), an edition of Aesop's fables introduced by Kenneth Grahame, and his own A Hundred Anecdotes of Animals (1901), all published by John Lane at The Bodley Head.

What is A Hundred Anecdotes of Animals?

A book of a hundred short true-to-life stories about animals, written and illustrated by Billinghurst, with about a hundred black-and-white drawings.

What are La Fontaine's fables?

Verse fables by the 17th-century French poet Jean de La Fontaine, many based on Aesop, in which animals act out lessons about human nature.

Where can I see Billinghurst's books?

The Royal Academy library holds his illustrated fables, and A Hundred Anecdotes of Animals is free to read on Project Gutenberg.

Related Artists

• J. J. Grandville: French illustrator famous for La Fontaine's fables
• Gustave Doré: illustrated the fables of La Fontaine in the 1860s
• Randolph Caldecott: English illustrator of Aesop and animal picture books
• Walter Crane: English illustrator of fables and children's books