The main inspiration for this exhibit was a piece of Japanese World War II propaganda featuring anthropomorphic scrap metal figures collecting and forging assorted metal pieces for the war effort. The figures’ cartoonish nature led to an exploration of other instances of anthropomorphic materials within Special Collections.
Anthropomorphism – attributing human characteristics or behaviorisms to non-human entities such as animals or objects. When thinking of anthropomorphism, throughout human history animals have been utilized as good tools to tell a story, appearing in lieu of humans in numerous fairy tales and mythology.
The goal of this exhibit is to have a strong visual presence coupled with textual instances of animals or inanimate objects talking and carrying out activities, with lighthearted and rather human-like mannerisms. This highlights how our anthropomorphized friends have influenced and, to this day, have a strong presence in, the popular culture zeitgeist.
Utagawa, Kunitoshi. New Print: The World of Cats. 志ん板猫の世界.
A vibrant print depicting cats performing activities such as jumping rope, swimming, hoop rolling, or cicada catching with small portions of text with colloquial humorous speech adjacent to the cats.
There is little known about the artist Utagawa, Kunitoshi (1847-1899). The bulk of his body of work depicts life in Japan during the Meiji era (1868–1912), a time of rapid industrialization.
Carroll, Lewis. Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass.
Illustrated by John Tenniel.
Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was first published in 1865, with its sequel Through the Looking Glass published in 1871. John Tenniel’s 1865 wood-engraved illustrations bring Carroll’s fantastical world to life and have been utilized in numerous publications. In this version, some of his engravings have been colorized, creating a strong visual impression. Since their inception, these two works by Carroll have been published several times and undergone various adaptations and spinoffs in a variety of mediums.
“It was the white rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself, ‘The Duchess! The Duchess! Oh, my dear paws! Oh my fur and whiskers!’”
Kinder und Hausmärchen der Brüder Grimm.
Illustrated by Karl Mühlmeister.
Grimms’ Fairy Tales, originally known as Children’s and Household Tales (Kinder und Hausmärchen) was first published in 1812. The brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm collected various tales from old books and oral stories. The first edition contained 86 stories. The tale shown in this exhibit, Town Musicians of Bremen or Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten, first appeared in the 1819 second edition. It is based on the accounts from storyteller Dorothea Viehmann.
The tale depicts aging animals who are tired of being neglected by their former masters. Seeking a new life, they decide to go to Bremen and become musicians. However, during their journey they trick a band of robbers and use their spoils to buy a new house for the animals.
For over 200 years the tale has had numerous homages within popular culture. The most notable is the imagery of the four animals stacked on top of one another in a pyramid fashion in the following order: donkey, dog, cat, and rooster.
“‘Das wäre was für uns,’ sprach der Hahn. ‘Ja, ja, ach, wären wir da!’ sagte der Esel. Da ratschlagten die Tiere, wie sie es anfangen müßten, um die Räuber hinauszujagen und fanden endlich ein Mittel.”
“‘That would be something for us,’ said the rooster. ‘ Yes, yes, oh, if we were there!’ said the donkey. Then the animals took counsel as to how they should begin to drive the robbers out, and at last found a remedy.”
Grahame, Kenneth. The Wind in the Willows.
Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
First published in 1908, Kenneth Grahame adapted bedtime stories he told his son into a children’s novel. The story focuses on a mole, rat, and badger getting into adventures whilst attempting to limit the antics of an eccentric toad obsessed with motor cars.
The detailed illustrations by notable book illustrator Arthur Rackham feature his signature trichromatic printing process. This book was Rackham’s last work and released posthumously. This well-received story has numerous adaptations such as stage productions, cartoons, and movies.
“As they neared the door it was flung open, and Mr. Toad, arrayed in goggles, cap, gaiters, and enormous overcoat, came swaggering down the steps, drawing on his gauntleted gloves.”
“Many plans were discussed and rejected; at last a young Mouse got up and proposed that a Bell should be hung round the Cat’s neck, that they might for the future always have notice of her coming, and so be able to escape.
It is one thing to propose, another to execute.”
Aesop’s Fables.
Illustrated by E. Boyd Smith.
Aesop’s Fables is a collection of fables credited to storyteller Aesop (620-564 BCE). Like many texts of the ancient world, the fables were part of oral tradition and written down numerous centuries later. The oldest surviving written material is a collection of fables by Phaedrus (15 BCE-50 CE) of the first century.
This written documentation served as the basis for many of the modern day translations and adaptations of the fables with recognizable stories like the Tortoise and the Hare.
The Mice in Council is a fable depicting a group of mice voting on the methods in which to deal with a predatory cat.
Eliot, T. S. Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.
Illustrated by Nicolas Bentley.
First published in 1939, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot depicts various kinds of cats doing activities. The poems were originally written throughout the 1930s in various letters to his grandchildren.
Less than a year after this book’s initial release it was republished in 1940 with additional illustrations by Nicolas Bentley as shown in this exhibit. This book inspired many other cultural works such as Andrew Llyod Webber’s 1981 musical Cats.
“He can pick any card from a pack,
He is equally cunning with dice”
“The Frogman’s usual costume consisted of knee-breeches made of yellow satin plush, with trimmings of gold braid and jeweled knee-buckles; a white satin vest with silver buttons in which were set solitaire rubies; a swallow-tailed coat of bright yellow; green stockings and red leather shoes turned up at the toes and having diamond buckles.”
Baum, Frank. The Lost Princess of Oz.
Illustrated by John R. Neill.
After the release of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900 Frank Baum wrote a total of 14 books containing stories set within the Land of Oz. The Lost Princess of Oz is the eleventh book, first published in 1917, where Dorothy and the wizard attempt to find the ruler of Oz, Princess Ozma, after her disappearance.
John R. Neill illustrated numerous books from the Oz series, apart from the first book. His pen and ink illustrations continued in the Oz series released after Baum’s death. In addition to the illustrations he wrote three of the post-Baum era books.
Machiya, Gizaburō. Tetsu no Kobito. 鐡のこびと.
Illustrated by Manzaburō Kihara.
These illustrations are part of a kamishibai (paper play), where an individual would travel from town to town orally telling a story accompanied by illustrations displayed in a mini wooden theater. While telling the story the narrator would pull one card at a time to add imagery to the story often written on the back of the card.
During World War II kamishibai were seen as good propaganda tools. This story promotes scrap metal collection and how children could contribute towards the war effort. The beginning of the story has a section with the anthropomorphic “iron dwarves” — metal figures — going through the process of collecting commonplace household items such as pen nibs and toy parts. They are shown melting and forging the metal into needed wartime materials such as artillery shells.
