Reference assistant Benjamin Yusen delves into the fantastical artwork of J. R. R. Tolkien’s world, complete with dwarves, dragons, and hobbits!
Tolkien’s reputation as a professor of Anglo-Saxon literature, and as the Father of modern Fantasy literature sometimes overshadows his skill as an illustrator and painter. Though the Lilly Library is not lucky enough to possess any of his watercolors or sketches, the archives contain a surprising amount and variety of artwork inspired by The Legendarium.
In Capra Press mss., 1955-2010, box 15, folders 16-18, researchers will find the manuscripts, proofs, and artwork for Colin Wilson’s chapbook-style publication, Tree by Tolkien. According to the Foreword, 200 copies of this text were signed by the author and handbound. The illustrations for this text, which are, to my mind, the most compelling aspect, are credited to Graham and Caitlin Mackintosh.
Fans of Tolkien’s work beyond the The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy know that this title is a reference to Tolkien’s short story, “Leaf by Niggle.” Though Tolkien is infamous for his dislike of allegory, “Leaf by Niggle” is (in his words) “purgatorial.” It tells of a painter, working on a great canvas of a tree, who experiences both artistic blocks, and varying interruptions. Eventually, the artist, Niggle, goes on a great journey (allegorical for death and purgatory) and eventually gets to create his painting within the afterlife. The generation of this narrative is most often attributed to a period of difficulty for Tolkien. He wrote that he was “anxious about my internal Tree, dead stuck, somewhere about Ch. 10 (Voice of Saruman) in Book III,” and “did not know how to go on.” Tolkien’s letters further detail “(it was originally called The Tree), it arose from my own preoccupation with The Lord of the Rings, the knowledge that it would be finished in great detail, or not at all, and the fear (near certainty) that it would be ‘not at all’.” Though Tree by Tolkien is a nod to this period of Tolkien’s life and letters, the following illustrations—for reasons unclear to me—all depict scenes from The Hobbit.
Wilson’s titular nod to a lesser-known, yet still masterful work of Tolkien’s, is one I find to be wonderful. Part-and-parcel with Tolkien’s struggle, is his self-admitted perfectionism; he considered himself a niggler, a writer preoccupied with the very excruciating details of his work. Graham and Caitlin Mackintosh’s illustrations are similarly occupied with the minutiae of Middle Earth. Exemplar is the iconic pipe weed, which is smoked by most everyone in Middle Earth, and is narratively inconsequential. Tolkien nevertheless emphasizes the history of this almost peripherally important luxury good: “When Hobbits first began to smoke is not known, all the legends and family history take it for granted… But even the Dúnedain of Gondor allow us this credit: Hobbits first put it [pipe weed] into pipes.” (Tolkien, The Fellowship pp. 59-61)
A further item of importance in Middle Earth is the style of dwellings attributed to Hobbits: the Hobbit Hole. Fans of Peter Jackson’s film trilogy will remember the comeliness of Bag End, which in Tolkien’s words, was “not a nasty, dirty, wet hole… it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort… with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats…” (Tolkien, The Hobbit, p.1) The illustration of Bag End is only very roughly shaded, but it depicts a Hobbit, once again smoking pipe weed, before a roaring fireplace. In the corner is a broom, a reminder of the tidy coziness of the Hobbit hole, and above the fireplace on the mantle, is written Hobbiton.
The collection of images would not be complete without the dragon. Tolkien is often quoted as having said “I desired dragons with a most profound desire.” Tolkien’s description of Smaug does not leave us wanting either. Smaug was “a vast red-golden dragon, fast asleep; a thrumming came from his jaws and nostrils, and wisps of smoke, but his fires were low in slumber…” (The Hobbit, p.354) Some versions of The Hobbit use for cover art Tolkien’s watercolor, A Conversation With Smaug. This painting depicts a vast red winged serpent encircling a huge mound of treasure in the depths of Erebor. The Mackintoshes’ illustration is far more resemblant of one of Tolkien’s lesser-known dragons, Chrsyophylax, from “Farmer Giles of Ham.” Multiple illustrations of Chrysophylax can be found, though those most stylistically similar to the Mackintoshes’ were done by Pauline Baynes, three of which can be found at the links below.1
The final image in this collection depicts the Dwarves, quite probably during their climb up the Lonely Mountain, in search of the back door. Various unspecified Dwarves hang off of a cliff by a single rope, in such a way that one must imagine this image could have been printed along the spine of the book. Whilst the previous three images of this collection tend to conjure an aura of interiority (the Hobbit Hole, homeliness, and the halls of Erebor), this last image is more journey oriented. The climbing Dwarves are a reminder of Tolkien’s interest in the quest, and his predilection for the details of the journey, rather than the destination.
About the author: Benjamin N. Yusen is a PhD student in English Literature. His research centers on early Medieval literature of the North Atlantic, focusing on mythic resonances and humor. He is also interested in the intersections of Fantasy and Science Fiction literature with medievalism.
1 https://www.paulinebaynes.com/?what=artifacts&cat=70&image_id=660
http://paulinebaynes.com/?what=artifacts&cat=70&image_id=544
https://www.paulinebaynes.com/?what=artifacts&cat=70&image_id=632
Leave a Reply