Book Illustration in the Victorian Age

W ith books now being read on mobile devices like iPads, Kindles, and even smart phones, it’s easy to forget how much the format of a standard book has changed since the nineteenth century. Publishing techniques and books themselves have transformed so much in the intervening years that it’s hard for us to imagine the effort and care that went into editing, typesetting, illustrating, and preparing a manuscript for publication 150 years ago. Then as now, visual elements enhance the reader’s understanding of a work in a way that changes the reading experience. As Alice wonders before she goes down the rabbit hole, “What is the use of a book … without pictures or conversations?” (Carroll 1870).