John Tenniel
The definitive illustrator of Alice and a master political cartoonist for Punch.
John Tenniel · via Wikipedia: John Tenniel · Public domain
His lasting fame comes from over five decades as a Punch political cartoonist—he started at the satirical magazine in 1850 and became its chief cartoonist in 1864—and from providing the pictures for the initial printings of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871).[1] Knighted in 1893 for his artistic accomplishments, Tenniel was the first illustrator or cartoonist to receive such an honor.[2]
Quick Facts
- Born
- 28 February 1820
- Birthplace
- Bayswater, London, England
- Died
- 25 February 1914
- Place of death
- West Kensington, London, England
- Resting place
- Kensal Green Cemetery, London
- Field
- Illustration
- children's literature
- political cartoons
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Tenniel was born in Bayswater, west London, to John Baptist Tenniel, a fencing and dancing master of Huguenot descent, and Eliza Maria Tenniel.[3] In 1840, while practising fencing, he received a serious eye wound from his father's foil, which had accidentally lost its protective tip.[4] He became a student of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1842 by probation.[5] When John Leech died in 1864, Tenniel continued their work alone, rarely missing a single week.[6]
The fencing accident in 1840 that cost Tenniel the protective tip of his father's foil led to a serious eye wound; as the years passed, his right eye's sight diminished, but he concealed the wound's true seriousness from his father to avoid causing him more distress.[4] Mark Lemon extended an invitation to Tenniel at Christmas 1850 to become a joint cartoonist on Punch, a role he filled alongside John Leech, after his illustrations for Aesop's Fables had impressed.[2] The original illustrations for Wonderland were done by Lewis Carroll himself, but his drawing skills were insufficient.[2] Because Carroll regularly read Punch, he knew Tenniel's work; before illustrating the first edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in 1865, Tenniel held lengthy discussions with Carroll.[2]
What the cited sources add
The V&A museum notes that Tenniel's intelligent, detailed style elevated the fame and standing of cartoonists immeasurably.[7] According to the V&A, Tenniel would often sketch from life and found inspiration in the dramatic gestures of stage performers.[7] The V&A states that Tenniel grew frustrated with fine art early in his career and concentrated his talents on other mediums.[7] The V&A reports that Tenniel's theatrical, detailed caricature work for Punch caught the eye of Lewis Carroll.[7]
The Independent reports that a plaque honouring Tenniel was reinstalled at a new London location after being kept in storage for 65 years.[8] The Independent adds that the plaque was originally unveiled by London County Council in 1930 at Tenniel's Maida Vale home and was removed ahead of the building's demolition in 1959.[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "John Tenniel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Insight: The enduring charm of Alice in Wonderland", The Scotsman (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "John Tenniel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "John Tenniel – an introduction", V&A museum (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "John Tenniel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Simpson 1994, p. 12; Curtis, "Tenniel, Sir John" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "John Tenniel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Martin Gardner, The Annotated Alice, p. 223.; Wakeling 2014, p. 67–68 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "John Tenniel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "John Tenniel – an introduction", V&A museum; "John Tenniel's original Alice in Wonderland illustrations", Pan Macmillan (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "John Tenniel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Engen 1991, p. 1; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "John Tenniel – an introduction", V&A museum. facts only, no text reused. vam.ac.uk
- Roberts, "Plaque for Alice In Wonderland illustrator reinstalled after 65 years in storage", The Independent, 13 November 2025. facts only, no text reused. independent.co.uk
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article John Tenniel (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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