John Bauer Illustrations
Among Gnomes and Trolls
Bland tomtar och troll

John Bauer's illustrations of gnomes and trolls are adorable gentle featured creatures and his simplicity is almost a theatre stage...

Even though he had classical art lessons such as anatomy and perspective, he was able to beautifully adapt to children's fantasy literature.

John Bauer was born June 4, 1882 in Jonoping, Sweden.

John's older sister, Anna, died at thirteen and this had a dramatic effect on him and his two brothers.

As he was always drawing, he later began his art studies at age sixteen in Stockholm.

After two years he gained admission to the Royal Academy of Art.

There he met his future wife, Esther Ellquist and after their marriage in December 1906, they went on trip for two years to study art.

Bauer's wife posed as a model for Bauer's illustrations and there is a notorious painting, The Fairy Princess from 1905 that depicts this.

His first work to be commissioned, and illustrate a book, was by Lappland in 1904 but it was only around 1907 that he became known.

The Bland tomtar och troll, which means Among Gnomes and Trolls , was an annual fairy tale book and it shows his exquisite artistry.

It is a collection of fairy tales that were written by Swedish authors.

He took part in them from 1907 to 1910 and 1912 to 1915, there were eight volumes, and the latter contain his most famous work.

We can find Princess Tuvstarr painted in 1913 and many others like Good evening, old man! the boy greeted from 1915.

Unfortunately Bauer's brilliant career was too short.

In 1918 his marriage was close to divorce in the midst of world war.

They then decided to go back to Stockholm with their two year old son, Bengt or Putte, and start a new life, in search of new hope.

Tragically, their return on the ferry capsized in harsh weather and they all drowned, November 20.