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In the wonderful world of children’s literature, Lewis Carroll’s  classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a pivotal work of art that monumentally changed the future of children’s literature. The publication of Carroll’s tale in 1865 marks a notable shift away from didactic Victorian-era moralistic instruction with a focus on discipline and education to adventures of nonsensical fun, innocence, playfulness, child-centered journeys, and fantastic characters. Unlike children’s literature before Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Carroll’s book encourages self-discovery and identity as well as critical thinking and logic and challenges societal norms. Going as far to parody didactic works of the past, such as Isaac Watts "How Doth the Little Busy Bee,"  Carroll deliberately deviated from previous tradition. The story and the illustrations paved the way for children’s literature publications to come. Carroll’s work has never gone out of print and continues to impact generations of readers to this day. 

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a well-written and beautifully illustrated story.  Throughout adaptations, revisions, and different forms of media, Alice maintains her sense of curiosity and wonder throughout her depictions. Carroll's original illustrations set the groundwork for how Alice and her wonderland should look. While Lewis Carroll wrote the forward-thinking adventurous tale, John Tenniel’s illustrations which first accompanied the tale in 1865 also have had a tremendous impact on young readers throughout time. The drawings complement the whimsical adventures and spark imagination. The visuals engage the reader and move the tale along. The variety of illustrations over the decades has brought the story to life and offered readers of all ages iconic images of Alice and the well-developed characters. While different illustrators have absolutely implemented their own style and ideas, they still keep the feeling of Carroll's ideas about curiosity, exploration, and wonder. 

Carroll, Lewis, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), first edition published by Macmillan, illustrated by John Tenniel, Wikipedia. The story begins with young, bored, and curious Alice as she follows a white rabbit down a rabbit hole and tumbles into a strange and fantastical world filled with bizarre creatures and nonsensical rules. As Alice traverses through this unconventional and whimsical world, she encounters eccentric characters including the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts, and the Caterpillar. Each encounter Alice experiences challenges her sense of identity and knowledge of the world. With conversations about history, schooling, time, and punishments, Alice's encounters  echo the peculiarities of Victorian adulthood. Alice experiences metamorphosis, as her body is constantly changing and endures instances of peril throughout her transformations. Notably, the Queen of Hearts's erratic rule of law—“Off with their heads!”—exemplifies the nonsensical rules and chaotic authority Alice encounters throughout her adventure. Through all she endures, Alice maintains her curiosity and resilience, but her journey ends abruptly when she awakens, revealing to the reader it is all a dream. Carroll's story resists offering a clear moral message, instead reveling in imagination, word play, dynamic relationships, and absurdity. Contrasting the moral view of the time, Carroll underscores the fleeting nature of childhood and the importance of maintaining one’s keen sense of wonder deep into adulthood. The original cover design elicits imagination right away. The sleek red cloth design with the beautiful silhouette of Alice gives the book a more sophisticated feeling. It echoes Carroll and Tenniel's depictions of Alice seemingly proper and Victorian on the outside, but full of wonder and curiosity on the inside.   

“Lewis Carroll” Photograph by himself, 1856, Wikipedia. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832-1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an Anglican deacon, photographer, mathematician, and author best known for his groundbreaking tale, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865). Born in Daresbury, Cheshire, England, Carroll grew up in a devoutly religious household, the eldest son of 11 children. His upbringing set the stage for him to have a facility for storytelling and entertaining young readers. In this self-portrait, Carroll is reading a book, an authentic display of his academic prowess. Carroll’s formal education included studying mathematics at Christ's Church, Oxford. He excelled and later became a mathematical lecturer. Carroll also discovered his love for photography around this time and began taking portraits of the Liddell family, whose father, Henry, was the Dean of Christ's Church. Alice Liddell served as the inspiration for his titular character Alice in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, although some modern day scholars are skeptical as to the nature of their relationship. Carroll wrote multiple mathematics books, some of his work still being relevant in the field in modern day, but was more known for his photography. Carroll's interest in photography, as well as his profound skill with the subject, shows that he knew the power and importance of pictures. Carroll's photos and his illustrations exemplify his whimsical eye. Lewis Carroll implemented his passion of entertainment and childlike wonder into his writing as evidenced in the Alice series.  

Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures Under Ground (1862–64), Page 33, Show.Me.Uk. Before Lewis Carroll and illustrator John Tenniel crafted the masterpiece that is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Carroll himself had written and illustrated Alice's Adventures Under Ground. While on an outing with Alice Liddell and her sisters, Carroll created stories to keep them entertained. The story of young Alice’s journey down a mysterious rabbit hole into a world of wonder captivated the young sisters, leading them to beg Carroll to write it down, prompting the creation of Alice's Adventures Under Ground. 

While slightly more jarring than the classic Tenniel drawings yet to come, Carroll’s illustrations realize his creative sense of wonder and curiosity. The scene shown here exemplifies Alice’s enduring message about learning through wonder, a theme that resonates across adaptations and translations. Alice and the White Rabbit are depicted conversing in the illustration with Carroll’s handwritten text surrounding it, a stylistic choice that will be built upon and made even more engaging as Carroll’s vision is more fully realized. Alice is described as looking “curiously” about, perhaps the most crucial aspect of her character which has always been a part of Carroll’s story. Carroll's image highlights the importance of illustrations within the story. Even though Carroll himself was not known for his illustrative prowess, he knew the importance of seeing the scenes visually depicted as opposed to just reading the descriptions. Carroll's illustrations maintain the feeling of wonder and curiosity reflected in his extraordinary writing voice.  Carroll's illustrations exemplify the power of picture and brought the story to life even in this early version. This image, and Alice's Adventures Under Ground as a whole,  serves to remind readers that Alice's legacy and message of curiosity, wonder, exploration, and adventure have been alive from the very beginning.  

John Tenniel, "Mouse Tells a Story to the Birds and Alice," Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, 1865. Medium.com.  John Tenniel was commissioned by Carroll to do the illustrations for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and has since become a central piece in the definitive way to read the story. Tenniel’s masterful illustrations perfectly coincide with Carroll’s writing. Embodying Alice’s curiosity, and the fantasy of Wonderland, Tenniel's drawings are as if Carrolls words came to life. The line work, depiction of Carroll’s whimsical and mystical characters, as well as his drawings of Alice herself mesh together to form what makes Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland so engaging. In this illustration, Alice is in a circle listening to Mouse tell his tale why he dislikes dogs and cats. Tenniel’s design for the Mouse and the rest of the animals feels very surreal, as if they were straight out of a dream. His ability to capture the surreal and whimsical opens the door for the reader to imagine a world of their own, creating their own personal view of Wonderland while still maintaining a definitive look. Notably, Alice is drawn with her legs out and her hands clasped together. This has relevance as sitting with one's hands clasped is reminiscent of the proper posture for reciting Victorian didactic teachings which Alice references throughout the story. Her posture and legs, however, show Alice slowly becoming her own autonomous person, mirroring the story’s plot. Tenniel’s drawings are the perfect complement to Carroll’s story of wonder and curiosity.     

Salvador Dali "The Queen’s Croquet Ground," Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, 1969. themarginalian.org  As respect and appreciation for Carroll’s work grew, more artists started to illustrate the tale including Salvador Dali. Dali was commissioned to illustrate a special edition of the story in 1969 for the publisher Random House. Dali was known as a "surrealist kingpin" (The Marginalian) having been an accomplished artist for some time. Dali’s work captures Carroll’s views on exploration, wonder, and imagination in a unique way. Being a surrealist artist, Dali made his illustrations unconventional. Consisting of unsymmetrical lines, blots of color, and skewed scaling, Dali’s work reflects the more dreamlike side of Wonderland. In this illustration, all of Dali’s techniques are on display. Most notably, the Queen of Hearts’s guards are massive when compared to the tiny Alice at the bottom of the image, giving an insight into how Alice must have been feeling throughout her adventure. The menacing shadow the cards give off again add  meaningful perspective into Alice's emotions and her interpretation of the madness that surrounds her. Reminiscent of Tenniel and Carroll’s illustrations, Dali’s cards look realistic, blending reality with his version of Wonderland. Surrealism brings an entirely new viewpoint and interpretation to Wonderland, providing a unique view into what Alice could have been experiencing. While still maintaining the classic themes that Carroll crafted, Salvador Dali weaves his own expertise and style, fitting perfectly into the world of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.