Fair Helena

Photohunters theme: Old Fashioned.

With two additional rooms to furnish I’m keeping my eyes peeled these days for pictures and wallhangings that I like and which fit into the budget. Attracted initially by the carving on the frame I spotted this delight yesterday, hidden behind a pile of other donated pictures and assorted bric-a-brac in a local charity shop. The tattered, yellowing label on the back reads:

RACKHAM, Arthur (1867-1939)
“A Midsummer’s Night Dream”
Original Colour Print. 1908.

A quick search on Google and I found an alternative name for the print: Fair Helena.

Standing alone and watchful in the midnight wood she is discreetly sensuous, this Helena. The gauzy fabric of her robe is draped to show her figure to advantage. Tall and elegant, rather Edwardian with her bare shoulders, plunging neckline and mass of upswept, slighly dissheveled hair, she possesses more than a hint of Pre-Raphaelite wildness.

I remember hearing of Arthur Rackham as a child but can't remember where and when. I’ve just spent, or perhaps wasted, a fascinating couple of hours following links on the net and discovering what a talented and imaginative illustrator he was.

Have I made a profit on my purchase? Possibly. I paid £2 and from its condition this particular print looks to be an old one. Prints of Fair Helena seem to be selling for around US$70 online and I will ask C, a professional artist, for her opinion. Helena's not for sale though; she hangs above my bookcase, spreading enchantment. I must re-visit A Midsummer Night's Dream.