“The Girl Went On Combing and Curling Her Hair”
“The Girl Went On Combing and Curling Her Hair” is a black and white lithograph of an ink drawing by the English American Art Nouveau artist and illustrator, Louis Rhead. This is one of Rhead’s illustrations that he created for the Grimm’s Brothers’ “Goose Girl” story. It was in the 1917 Harper & Brothers publication of Grimm’s Fairy Tales: Stories and Tales of Elves, Goblins, and Fairies, which was entirely illustrated by Rhead.
In the “Goose Girl”, a princess is sent to marry her betrothed prince. On the way to the prince’s father’s castle, the princess gets tricked and bullied by her maid. By the time they approach the castle, the maid and princess have switched both horses and clothing, and the princess’s beautiful silvery blonde hair is pinned up, disguising her true identity. At their arrival, the prince comes to greet his soon-to-be bride. He is led to think that the maid is his betrothed.
The maid convinces the prince’s father, the king, to let the real princess work as a goose girl. While tending the geese, the princess lets down her silvery blonde hair to comb it. Her hair is so beautiful that the boy she is working with wants to touch it. She convinces the wind to blow the boy’s hat away so she can comb her hair in peace. This event of combing of her hair while the boy chases his hat happens several times throughout the story. It is the key to the king finding out that the goose girl is in fact the true princess.
Rhead depicts the princess as she combs her gorgeous hair. The geese gather around her as she kneels by the water. To the left, you can see the goose boy attempt to catch his hat with his crook. To the right, you can see the king between the limbs of a tree, spying on the princess as she combs her hair. In the background, a windmill and small farm add to the idyllic aesthetic of the piece.
In the late nineteenth century, Rhead made his career and name as an Art Nouveau poster artist. During the early twentieth century, the art world shifted away from poster art. At this time, Rhead turned to his other love of book illustration.
The Grimm’s Fairy Tales is one of the many story books for children that Rhead illustrated between 1902 and 1926. He also illustrated other well-known titles including Treasure Island, Robin Hood, and The Swiss Family Robinson.
“The Girl Went On Combing and Curling Her Hair” is currently in a private collection.
For more on Louis Rhead, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
