Hansel and Gretel

Hansel and Gretel, illustrated by Theodor Hosemann

When the printing process improved, more and more commercial products became available to more and more people. Printing was an important part of closing the gap between the higher and just established middle class.

Printing sheets were a stepping stone between expensive books and mass-produced picture books. Of course, black and white graphic was the only option. Printers already thought about the possibility of coloring, so they favored graphics with strong contrasts, bold lines, and large white areas.

Let's look at one such example from the mid-19th century.

Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Theodor Hosemann (1807-1875) illustrated a popular Grimm's fairy tale about Hansel and Gretel in such a way, that all six pictures could be placed on just one sheet. The text (a bit shortened) was on the same page as well.

We can add that this approach paved the way for the invention of comics as a new medium as well but this is another theme. Let's enjoy the pictures from the story of Hansel and Gretel with a short summary.

Those were hard times. There was not enough food for everybody. A woodcutter could't earn enough to feed his children Hansel and Gretel and his wife, their stepmother. She got the idea to take the kids into the woods and leave them there.

They would likely die of hunger anyway, so this could at least save the lives of the woodcutter and herself.

He agreed with the plan but Hansel overheard it. He put a lot of pebbles in his pocket and marked the path so the kids could find their way home.

Indeed the kids were left in the woods and their parents disappeared. It was time to take care of themselves.

The moon was shining and white pebbles showed them the way home.

Hansel's and Gretel's stepmother was not happy with their return. She insisted on taking them into the woods again. This time even deeper.

Hansel tried to collect more pebbles but the doors were locked through the night, so he couldn't go out. Instead, he was leaving the bread crumbs so hopefully they would find the way home anyway.

Unfortunately, his wishes didn't come true. The birds ate all the crumbs and the kids were lost.

After a while, they found a strange-looking house.

This house had walls made of gingerbread. Other parts were edible too. The kids were hungry and started eating.

The owner of the house, an old lady, invited them to enter.

They didn't know who she was.

The old lady was a witch who made a house made of sweets to attract children. When they came, she ate them. Hansel and Gretel were the next in line.

Fortunately for themselves, they were so skinny she decided to put some weight on Hansel first and use Gretel as a maid.

When she couldn't wait anymore, she prepared an oven. She ordered Gretel to get in and check if it was hot enough but Gretel was smart enough to play stupid.

Gretel asked the witch how to enter and the witch showed her. Gretel used the opportunity to push her in and close the door.

The cannibalistic witch burnt in her own oven.

Gretel saved her brother from the cage and together they checked the possessions of the witch. She had a lot of gold and precious stones, so they took as much as they could carry.

With some help of birds Hansel and Gretel safely returned home. In the meantime their stepmother died, so they stayed alone with their father. Thanks to the treasure from the witch's house they became rich and lived happily ever after.

This famous fairy tale has not been popular for centuries without reason. It addresses important kids' fears, especially the fear of abandonment. It has a great narrative pace and is rich with symbolism, which is often recognized only after the second, third, or later readings. With numerous possible interpretations, it provides attractive reading for adults as well.

To learn more about Hansel and Gretel by the Grimm brothers, visit https://owlcation.com/humanities/hansel_and_gretel, and don't forget to tell your friends!