EDMUND DULAC’S ARABIAN NIGHTS
About
In 1923, “Edmund Dulac, the Distinguished English Artist,”as he was billed on the front covers, was contracted by the Hearst organization to paint watercolors for The American Weekly. He illustrated thirteen different series with 106 watercolors from 1924’s ‘Bible Scenes and Heroes’ through 1951’s ‘Tales from the Arabian Nights’.
The two series presented here are the 1925 ‘Characters from the Arabian Nights’ and the 1951 ‘Tales from the Arabian Nights’. The 1951 series was narrated by Watson Crewes, the staff writer for The American Weekly. We have included them with the cover illustration. There were no stories in the 1925 series, but the illustrations were all covered in the earlier book versions of The Arabian Nights which brought Dulac his initial recognition and early success.
The frontispiece for the series was Sheherezade, which was also the frontispiece for his first Arabian Nights in 1907. This was his first “Gift Book” for his publisher Hodder & Stoughton with fifty color illustrations mounted on heavy art paper at the rear of the book.
Sheherezade was, of course, the storyteller of all the 1001 stories in the Arabian Nights, which took her over three years to recount to her husband, the Sultan. She is the daughter of the Grand Vizier, and volunteered to marry the Sultan to stop him from carrying out his habit of murdering his new wife after their wedding night. She began each story, and stopped before the ending, so that the Sultan would postpone her execution till the following day to hear the ending. At the end of the three years, he renounced his vile habit, and they lived happily ever after.
The next illustration is the familiar ‘Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp’. There are two more illustrations from this tale in this series, ‘Princess Badroulboudour’ and ‘News Lamps for Old’.
Aladdin was a young boy from China who lived with his mother. His father had died recently when mysteriously his father’s brother appeared to console the family, who had never heard of him. He tricked Aladdin into helping him find a magic lamp with a powerful Genie trapped inside. But Aladdin managed to foil his plan and used the Genie to marry the Princess and build a beautiful palace where, after a few mis-adventures, they lived happily ever after.
The Caliph Haroun Al Raschid was the Commander of the Faithful in Bagdad and was involved with several of the tales of the 1001 Nights. He often would disguise himself and go wandering at night into the city to see and talk to his subjects
The tale of ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves’ was included in the 1907 edition, and repeats here with different versions of the earlier drawings of Ali Baba and his slave girl Morgiana pouring hot oil in the jars where the forty thieves are hiding. Here, Ali Baba drives his mules with a contented smile, probably as he returns home with sacks of the thieves’ gold. And Morgiana has a beatific smile as she pours boiling oil on to the thieves who threaten the life of her master and herself.
The next illustration was mistakenly captioned by the editors at Hearst. Here we see the Prince staring at a bird who holds a talisman in his beak. This is not the story of the ‘Talking Bird’, also known as ‘The Three Sisters’, but the bird who led Prince Kemerezzeman astray from Princess Badoura, as you will read in the 1951 series.
‘Sindbad the Sailor and the Roc’ is again a repeat of the illustration from the 1914 edition. Here Sindbad, in his second voyage, ties himself to the leg of the gigantic Roc bird to be carried to where the diamonds are to be found.
The final illustration is ‘The Enchanted Horse’ made of ivory and ebony which will fly through the air to any destination the rider desires. Here the Prince mounts the magic horse and, without yet knowing the secret of how to manipulate the flight, takes off into the unknown to find his Princess and his fortune.
Trailer
Praise for this book
The March, April and May 1925 issues of The American Weekly featured ‘Characters from the Arabian Nights’. These illustrations have been collected into this magical, vibrant book.
In “The Sultana”, Scheherazade tells one of her enthralling Arabian Nights stories, not just with her voice, but also with her hands and her eyes. Her slight head-tilt and smile add to the experience – I can almost hear her saying, “You won’t believe what happens next!”
“Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp” isn’t your cliché image with Aladdin releasing a jolly bald man from his little lamp. This blue and gold overpoweringly huge genie looks quite alien. His intense gaze and predatory smile gives me the feeling that things aren’t going to go well for Aladdin.
The Caliph Haroun Al Raschid, star of “The Three Calenders and the Five Ladies of Baghdad” liked to dress like a commoner and mingle with his subjects. However, he’s portrayed here wearing a rather fancy headdress which might even be a crown. His expression seems untrustworthy, to my eye. This illustration makes me curious enough to hunt down the story once again.
On the flip side, I’d enjoy spending time with the rather plump (his shirt buttons are straining and close to popping off) Ali Baba, who displays a very pleasant, relaxed expression. Clearly something’s gone very well for him recently.
The girl with the tongue twisting name, “The Princess Badroulboudour–The Sweetheart of Aladdin” plays a musical instrument in serene surroundings. The use of pale rose and soft greens sets a tranquil mood.
But we leave tranquility behind on the next page. In spite of her relaxed, serene expression, there’s nothing peaceful about what’s going on in “Morgania Pours the Boiling Oil on the Forty Thieves”. I can almost hear the hissing steam rising from the thieves’ hiding-bags as she tilts boiling oil into each.
“The Prince and The Talking Bird” is charming for its pattern-play, from the flowering hedge to the texture of the bird’s feathers to the three different designs in the prince’s outfit.
One of my favorite illustrations is “Sinbad the Sailor and the Roc”. It looks so cartoony to me! The situation is absurd, with Sinbad tied to one of the roc’s feet as they fly so far up in the sky that three land masses can be seen below them. From the crazy expression on the roc’s face, to Sinbad’s awkwardly stiff legs, this one just makes me laugh.
Deep red and purple tones make “The Enchanted Horse” a striking image. The prince riding the horse looks so startled. His wild eyes are especially compelling.
The first half of the book ends with “New Lamps for Old–Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp”, another engrossing study in facial expressions.
“Tales from The Arabian Nights” was the theme from December 1950 to February 1951. This second half of the book includes a retelling of each story that inspired the illustrations. If you’ve never read the stories before, you’re in for some fun.
We start with a wild-eyed, slightly goofy looking genie carrying Princess Budour into the scene in “The Genie Dehnesh brings Princess Budour to compare her with Prince Kemerezzeman”. The three humans in the illustration are beautiful, especially when compared to that genie! The story is both silly and sweet, and ends with a teaser that there is more to this story which will be concluded in the next issue. Scheherazade would be pleased. As promised, the story was wrapped up in the next issue, illustrated by “Princess Budour, reigning disguised as a king, often sat on a balcony overlooking the sea, hoping the next ship would bring her beloved”.
The story of “Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Princess Perie-Banou” is marvelous. It’s filled with brotherly rivalry, challenges, wisdom, rescue, and ultimately, a grand plot revealed. The story was continued in the next issue, where “Prince Ahmed Finds the Sorceress”.
The final two illustrations, “Ali Baba dumps bags of gold before his amazed wife” and “Morgiana dances with the dagger before Ali Baba and the Captain of the thieves” tell one of the most well-known of the stories. The illustrations are particularly fun thanks to all the character’s facial expressions. Take time to really look at each of them.
If you aren’t familiar with the tales from the Arabian Nights, this volume can be your introduction to a wealth of fantastical stories. If you’ve already read the stories, you’ll enjoy seeing them come to life in Edmund Dulac’s unique illustrations.