These wonderful illustrations come from a set of prints by the brothers, (Charles) Maurice and Edward Julius Detmold inspired by Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book.
The twin brothers were brought up as orphans and raised by their uncle at his Hampstead home. They showed artistic flair and an interest in wildlife from a very early age. The boys would go to London Zoo and the Natural History Museum to study and draw animals. They successfully entered art competitions and aged 13 had drawings exhibited at the Royal Academy. Seeing their innate talent, the painter Edward Burne-Jones advised them against any formal artistic training.Their first book commission, Pictures from Birdland was published in 1899.
The brothers worked closely together creating etchings from each other's drawings or sometimes working on the same etching plate together. Then in 1903, MacMillan issued what was to be considered their greatest joint artwork - the 16 illustrations for Kipling's Jungle Book. The beautiful bold illustrations are shown here along with the striking green linen cover.
Sadly in 1908, Maurice Detmold committed suicide by inhaling chloroform. His brother, Edward continued for over 10 years the artistic endeavour they had established together. He created a large body of work including etchings, engravings, wood printing, paintings, pen and pencil drawings and Japanese-influenced wood block prints. His preferred subject remained the natural world - plants, animals and birds.
Edward Detmold became increasingly disillusioned with the world around him. By the 1930s he had entered a long retirement in Wales. Tragically in 1957, he too, took his own life.
The image library for the collections of Edinburgh Libraries and Museums and Galleries