New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-12-06
FAIRY GLAMOUR.


IN POWDER AND CRINOLINE. Fairy
tales Retold. BY Sir Arthur CUTLER
Couch. With twenty-five illustrations
in color by Kay Nielsen Large square
svo. PIP 164. The George H. Doran
Company.
One OF the hits Of the season, we
fancy, in the way of a sumptuous holi-
day book will be this handsome affair
Of Powder and Crinoline,' in which
the celebrated 20" has prettily refasn-
toned A number Of less known fairy
tales to accompany a set of pictorial
conceits in dainty line and water color
by a young English artist, whose orig!-
nal drawings for the book are on exhi-
bition until Christmas at the Leicester
Galleries in London. Mr.. Kay Mel
sen. who is but little known over here,
is very popular in England. -Four OF
the examples of his art are reproduced
as colored plates in The Illustrated
London News" Christmas Number
under the title of "Perrault in Powder
and Patch" and there is an illustrated
article about him in the December In
ternational Studio"
The periods chosen for what Sir Ar
thur all too modestly calls the letter
press" of this volume are exactly al
tuned TO the methods of the artist.
Doubtless his bizarre, fantastic, yet
exceedingly graceful and decorative
designs would not have been. at least
as they are. had not Aubrey Beardsley
gone before. though Mr.. Nielsen brings
into play much sprightliness and
delicate charm of his own. And the
best of his pictures very nearly forget
the decadent tricks of the master. IL
is a dazzling vision he gives OF the
slim, chic Princess Minette in
a bef1owered gown, on a white talTy
horse riding out in a flower carpeted
world to find Prince Souci. what
dandy design for a drop curtain this
would make! All these pictures, IN
deed, suggest the artificial poetry OF
the theatre. and are akin to those ere
ations in color and line that Gordon
Craig, Leon Bakst and Max Reinnardt
have put before our eyes in their stage
productions. The drawings are CAPT
tally presented by the publisher.
AS to the tales. 20" confesses TO no
difficulty with POiCder save the pleas
ant difficulty Of choosing" He has
employed "Minon- Minette,' Felicia;
or. The Pot of Pinks," and "Rosanie;
or. The Inconstant Prince; while FOR
The Twelve Dancing Princesses" he
went to Andrew Lang. But he says,
"for CrinOline, after an unavailing
search, / had TO use eXpedients.'
IL seems absurd-it is absurd-that few
fairy tales or none should have been be-
dueathed 10 US by our grandmothers who
wore crinolines and practised Cupid s own
sport of archery or by our grandtathers
who wore peg-top trousers and Dun
dreary whiskers, and built the Crystal
Palace, and drove to the Derby in green
yelled top-hats having Dutch dolls stuck
about the brim.
He exclaims that It was thousand
pities, and he cherishes the hope that
some one will come forward. before II
is too late, TO people the Great Exhi-
bition Of 1851 with fairies. acknowl-
edging that he had indicated rather
than supplied that urgent need in our
literature" The Man Who Never
Laughed" Is adapted from an Eastern
tale Of which Morris made use in The
Earthly Paradise" land Of I may Say
it, in all respect to the great man not
the best use" John and the Ghosts"