A Mad Tea Party - Arthur Rackham
Archival giclée
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Description
A classic 1907 illustration by Arthur Rackham depicting the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and Alice at their tea table.
This illustration depicts the iconic scene from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, specifically the chapter titled A Mad Tea Party. Arthur Rackham produced this work for his 1907 edition of the book, which remains one of the most recognised interpretations of the text. The composition features Alice seated at the head of a long, narrow table, flanked by the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. Rackham employs his characteristic pen and ink technique, using fine, controlled lines to define the textures of the characters' clothing and the gnarled branches of the tree looming above them.
The scene captures the surreal atmosphere of the narrative through the exaggerated features of the Hatter and the Hare, whose expressions convey a sense of weary eccentricity. The table is set with a repetitive arrangement of teacups and saucers, creating a rhythmic visual element that draws the eye across the length of the table. Rackham's approach to the subject avoids the whimsical, bright aesthetic often associated with children's literature of the period. Instead, he opts for a muted, atmospheric quality that leans into the slightly unsettling nature of Carroll's writing. The use of shadow and cross-hatching adds depth to the figures, grounding them within the outdoor setting. This print captures the technical precision and imaginative depth that defined Rackham's career as a leading figure in British book illustration during the early twentieth century. His ability to balance the grotesque with the human allows the viewer to engage with the narrative tension present in the original text.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
A Mad Tea Party - Arthur Rackham
Artist Biography
Arthur Rackham
He came back to London and got a job as an insurance clerk at the Westminster Fire Office, studying part-time at the Lambeth School of Art. In 1892 he left insurance for the Westminster Budget, where he worked as a reporter and illustrator. The illustration work took over. His watercolour of Winchelsea had already been accepted by the Royal Academy and sold for two guineas when he was twenty-one.
He met the painter Edyth Starkie over a garden fence. She encouraged him to stop imitating other illustrators and follow his own instinct, which ran toward twisted trees, gnarled roots and creatures that lived in the gaps between the real and the imagined. They married in 1903. That same year he illustrated The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, which was reprinted twice and made his name.
His style fused northern European line drawing (Durer, Altdorfer) with Japanese woodblock composition. The trees have faces. The roots have fingers. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens and Rip Van Winkle followed, the latter a turning point in book production: its fifty-one colour plates demonstrated that colour-separated printing could accurately reproduce original artwork.
Guillermo del Toro cited Rackham as an influence on the Faun in Pan's Labyrinth. Brian Froud credited him with sparking an interest in fairy illustration. He worked until the end: his final commission, The Wind in the Willows, was completed in 1939 shortly before his death at seventy-one.
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