The Fairies who Changed Places - illustration to Fairies I Have Met 

This is Edmund Dulac’s illustration to Fairies I Have Met. Notice the seated fairy cobbler, a gnarled figure of folklore, meticulously crafting shoes. This image is ripe with symbols of transformation and the uncanny. The act of shoemaking itself, a craft of shaping and altering, mirrors the fairy's transformative power. Throughout history, shoes have symbolized journeys and transitions, think of Cinderella's glass slipper or the Seven-League Boots. Here, the fairy's craft connects to a broader cultural narrative of change, hinting at the alteration of fates and fortunes. The very presence of fairies taps into our collective subconscious, evoking ancient beliefs in beings that meddle with our world. Like dreams, fairies offer a realm where the rules of reality bend, stirring our deepest fears and desires. This image is a potent reminder of the unseen forces shaping our lives.