publicdomainrev Europa being taken by a bull (Zeus) across the seas to Crete — illustration from the cover of a 1921 edition of The Tanglewood Tales. Originally published in 1852, the book was an attempt by the celebrated novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne — author of The Scarlet Letter (1850) and The House of the Seven Gables (1851) — to turn the Greek myths into something entertaining and edifying to young readers. This 1921 edition is greatly enhanced by its otherworldly illustrations, the work of Chicago-based artist Virginia Frances Sterrett who was just 20 at the time. Around this time she was diagnosed with tuberculosis. and Sterrett would manage only a few other commissions, including illustrations for a 1928 edition of Arabian Nights, but her failing health meant she could only work in short bursts. She eventually passed away in 1931, at the age of 30.⠀⠀
