An Alphabet of Celebrities by Oliver Herford – 1899

A charming book of famous faces from 1899 - most of whom you should recognise

IS Lafontaine,
who finds he’s
unable
To interest Luther and
List in his fable,
While Loie continues
to dance on the table

– The Celebrity Alphabet, 1899

 

The Celebrity Alphabet

 

We only see Lois Fuller’s legs in Oliver Hertford’s Alphabet of Celebrities of 1899. The American’s dancers feet and legs are on a table. The rest of her is beyond the fame, visible to her companions, the German religionist Martin Luther (10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546), Hungarian musician Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) and French writer Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695).

How Hertford chose who was in and not in his work is unsaid. And why there are no notables for the letter E is moot. There just aren’t. Hard cheese for fruity Eve. But well done, Queen Victoria (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901), who scores two mentions, under ‘V’ and ‘Q’.

What Hertford’s alphabet book does have are gorgeous illustrations and tight rhymes.

 

The Celebrity Alphabet

The Celebrity Alphabet The Celebrity Alphabet
The Celebrity Alphabet
The Celebrity Alphabet
The Celebrity Alphabet

The Celebrity Alphabet

 

The Celebrity Alphabet – for more fun alphabets, see here.

 

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