Location:Female Illustrators Title: Elsa Beskow , Fairy Tale Children's Book Fantasy Illustration in Black and White, 1915 Artist:Elsa Beskow (Painter)
Media Type: Pen and Ink Art Type: Interior Page For Sale Status: For Sale Views: 26 Likes on CAF:12 Comments:0 Added to Site: 4/3/2026
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Description
Fantasy illustration for children's book - "Princess Signelill and her brother†from “Sagobok av Elsa Beskow†Ink on paper, High-end archival matted. Unsigned Provenance: The Artist's Family Drawing in ink, as well as a pencil sketch on the verso, included. Done around 1915 as illustrations for the fairy tale Matt size 12 x 12 Elsa Beskow, Swedish, 1874 - 1953 India Ink on paper 5 - 6.5 inches US$9,000 Plus Shipping
She married former minister and social worker, doctor of theology Natanael Beskow in 1897. Elsa Beskow met her future husband at Djursholms samskola while serving as a teacher where he served as head master. From 1900 they lived in Villa Ekeliden in Djursholm which had initially been built for the author Viktor Rydberg. They had six sons, including the artist Bo Beskow (1906–1989) and geologist Gunnar Beskow (1901–1991).
In 1894 Beskow started to contribute to the children's magazine Jultomten. She ultimately began publishing her own books, doing both illustration and text. Overall, she would publish some forty books with her own text and images.
Beskow frequently combined reality with elements from the fairy tale world. Children meet elves or goblins, and farm animals talk with people. Central themes were the relationships between children and adults and children's independent initiative. Her work "depicted a happy home atmosphere in the Swedish countryside of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries."
Beskow became one of the most well known of all Swedish children's book artists. Many of her books became classics and are continually reprinted. Beskow also illustrated ABC books and songbooks for Swedish schools. Her book pages are often framed by decorative framework of the Art Nouveau style.
Beskow received "international recognition for simple, cheerful stories and outstanding illustrations." Poem Poem Illustrated by Elsa Beskow about trees in winter (early 1900s, Nationalmuseum Stockholm. Elsa Beskow, ‘Fairy Tale Children's Book Fantasy Illustration in Black and White’, 1915 Elsa Beskow, Swedish, 1874–1953 India Ink on paper 5 - 6.5 inches US$9,000 Plus Shipping