The Dreamer of Dreams: Marie, Queen of Romania 1915

Edmund Dulac (1882–1953) was a French-British illustrator and a central figure of the Golden Age of Illustration, which roughly spanned from the 1880s to the 1920s and was fueled by advances in color printing that popularized lavish gift books. His intricate, atmospheric style—steeped in orientalism, jewel-toned palettes, and sinuous line—brought fairy tales and fantasies to life and set a benchmark for early 20th‑century illustrated editions.

In sharp contrast to today’s Disney “new look,” often criticized as bland, formless, and blob-like, Dulac’s work revels in ornate composition, textural richness, and a haunting, romantic mood. Where contemporary designs lean on simplified, rounded shapes for mass appeal, Dulac’s plates build narrative depth through elaborate pattern, nuanced color, and expressive detail.

This illustration is from The Dreamer of Dreams (Marie, Queen of Romania; Hodder & Stoughton, 1915), a romantic fantasy about the court artist Eric Gundian and his quest for the dreamed pair of eyes, published with six tipped‑in color plates by Dulac and issued as a deluxe “new art gift book” of its year.