Google Doodle is honoring the famous British illustrator, Sir John Tenniel, on his 200th birthday today. Tenniel is an honorary artist from the Victorian times who is best known for his work and illustrations for the Alice in Wonderland series. Written by Lewis Caroll, Alice in Wonderland is one of the most beloved stories ever told. The story continues to inspire and attract fans to this day and has a fan following as high as JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series.
Tenniel was born and brought up in London after his birth in 1820. His early work constituted of him drawing political and satirical cartoons for the magazine Punch. He was only 16 when he first started getting recognition for his work. At the age of 16, Tenniel submitted his first oil painting to the Society of British Artists which went on in an exhibition. Even then, Tenniel had a distinct artistic style and recognized for bringing to life fantastic illustrations.
Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Caroll, assumed to have grown a liking for Tenniel’s distinct art. The two got introduced to each other in 1864 and after a brief meeting Tenniel agreed to illustrate Caroll’s work, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”
Google doodle has taken inspiration from Tenniel’s version of Alice and the Cheshire Cat that appeared in various books by Lewis Caroll. This includes Through the Looking Glass which released in 1872. For this same work., Tenniel received a knighthood in 1893.
Even after two full centuries since Tenniel’s birth, the artist is respected and regarded extremely highly for his undeniable contribution to the literary and artistic fields.
