This charming collection of original 19th-century fairy tale illustrations by Lili Fabricius (1855–1930) were drawn to illustrate the Romanian fairy tales of Carmen Sylva. The drawings evoke a medieval world of myth and legend—kings and queens, pilgrims and hermits—all against the magnificent natural backdrop of the Carpathian Mountains.
Carmen Sylva was the pen-name of Elisabeth of Wied (1843–1916). Born to German nobility, Elisabeth married Prince Carol of Romania and subsequently became the first queen of Romania. She was an artistic and cultured individual who wrote widely, including poems, plays, novels, short stories and essays. Through her writing, she supported her husband and acted as a protector and promoter of Romanian national heritage. She also encouraged local artisans, establishing workshops around the royal residence, Peleș Castle. Carmen Sylva became the patron of Higher Education for Women and encouraged women to express their thoughts and feelings through writing, including her ladies-in-waiting.
Carmen Sylva's Romanian fairy tales were inspired by the local folklore, but contained motifs encountered in German tales, resulting in an interesting combination of reality and imagination. Well-known places in the mountainous area of Sinaia are intermingled with fictional and legendary characters of Romanian folklore and German stories. Late Romantic narrative illustrative art was highly popular in the second half of the 19th century, particularly amongst women artists. Lili Fabricius, who wrote a book titled 'The Alsatian great-grandmother' in 1914, was clearly inspired by the folk tales of her fellow female writer. She was possibly related to the 19th-century German archaeologist Ernst Fabricius (the name Lili Fabricius appears in his estate correspondence).
