The Twelve Dancing Princesses by Ruth Sanderson

The thing that I did, I did actually add some elements from the French version into the German retelling, so it’s not a strict retelling of Grimm, and this has kind of been my signature when I retell, I like to read different versions from…usually they’re European from different traditions…and weave my favorite elements together. Ruth Sanderson: That story was actually one of my favorite fairy tales growing up, and when I decided to start retelling fairy tales myself and illustrating them, that was the first one that the editor and I jointly agreed on and it was one of her favorite tales, too. And I just wondered what drew you to that particular fairy tale? That story is based on a German fairy tale that was published by The Brothers Grimm in their second volume of fairy tales in 1815 and your illustration clearly adds a lot more depth to the story. I selected a painting of yours, it’s an illustration from the 1990 book, The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Jesse Kowalski: Now, I was very excited to include your work in our summer 2021 exhibition, Enchanted: A History of Fantasy Illustration. Ruth Sanderson: Thank you, I’m happy to be here.

One such book, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, was the main focus of a 2013 exhibition at the Norman Rockwell Museum, titled Dancing Princesses, The Fairy Tale Art of Ruth Sanderson. She began her career painting covers for the Nancy Drew series and has illustrated numerous classic fairy tales, such as Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Goldilocks. Her beautifully rendered paintings can be found in books such as The Enchanted Wood, The Golden Mare, The Firebird and The Magic Ring and The Snow Princess, which was nominated for two Chesley Awards. In this episode of The Illustrator’s Studio we welcome Ruth Sanderson, a celebrated illustrator noted mainly for her work in the realm of fantasy and fairy tales, Sanderson’s artwork has appeared in more than eighty books. The Illustrator’s Studio is a weekly interview series, a project of the museum’s Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies. I am Jesse Kowalski, Curator of Exhibitions at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Jesse Kowalski: Welcome to The Illustrator’s Studio.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses by Ruth Sanderson