Jonathan Swift (Dublin, 1667 - 1745, Dublin)
Gulliver's Travels, 1870
Ink on paper
Vatichino
Commentary
In the early 18th century, fiction for children that could be read for pure pleasure did not yet exist. Jonathan Swift’s adult satire, Gulliver’s Travels (1726), quickly attracted an audience of children.
Isabella Stewart Gardner was a voracious reader, and books were the first objects that she collected. About 120 of the 2700 books she acquired for her museum can be considered children's books.
Isabella and her husband Jack had three copies of Gulliver in their collection, including a first edition and one that belonged to Jack when he was a child. In this 19th-century version, "immodest and indecent" events from the original were left out, making the book safe for the perusal of children.
Isabella Stewart Gardner was a voracious reader, and books were the first objects that she collected. About 120 of the 2700 books she acquired for her museum can be considered children's books.
Isabella and her husband Jack had three copies of Gulliver in their collection, including a first edition and one that belonged to Jack when he was a child. In this 19th-century version, "immodest and indecent" events from the original were left out, making the book safe for the perusal of children.