DULAC, Edmund

 "he would have chosen some dream city of the Orient for his birthplace"

Please scroll down for our current stock of first editions and signed books illustrated by Dulac.

Born and brought up in Toulouse, France, Dulac moved to England in 1905 in the hopes of pursuing a career in book illustration. Dulac took a portfolio of work to the Leicester Gallery, who were impressed with his work and asked him to complete a series of fifty watercolours to illustrate The Arabian Nights. The book was an immediate success and paved the way for a series of spectacular illustrated gift books. The first few books were illustrated with deep blues, starry skies and an often dreamlike quality. Dulac’s work became increasingly influenced by his fascination with the Far East and the books he produced in 1913/14 have a very Oriental feel. Although the gift book era ended after the First World War Dulac continued to work on books and other projects. He illustrated some classic works of literature, employing a more subtle palette of blues and greens.

Blog posts about this artist: Edmund Dulac Dreamer of Dreams and Dulac and the Salle des Illustres