And the maids cried ‘good gracious, how very tenacious!’ 1911

Arthur Rackham made this image – And the maids cried ‘good gracious, how very tenacious!’ – using ink and watercolor, with such detail. Imagine him, in his studio, hunched over the paper, meticulously building up the scene. I love how he captures the energy of the maids’ frantic reaction. You can see how they are startled, as if chaos has erupted. The body language tells it all: the exaggerated poses, the wide eyes. It's like a freeze-frame from a slapstick comedy – a human cartoon. And yet, the muted colors create an undertone of something more unsettling. The lines, so delicate, remind me of Aubrey Beardsley, but with a touch of coziness. What I love is the conversation that’s happening here. Rackham is in dialogue with illustrators like Beardsley, but he’s adding his own voice, his own quirky humor. Isn't it wonderful how they inspire each other, across time?