The Oysters with the Walrus and the Carpenter — Illustration to the fourth chapter of Through the Looking Glass by John Tenniel. Wood-engraving by the Dalziels.
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low:
And all the little Oysters stood
And waited in a row.
By the simple expedient of adding tiny stick-like legs and shoes, Tenniel succeeds in achieving a warmly anthropomorphic presentation of the young oysters, even when they have their backs to the artist and onlooker. "Their shoes were clean and neat - and this was odd, because you know, they hadn't any feet." (v.8 of Tweedledee's poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter," recited to Alice.) For the subsequent fate of the young oysters, and beyond, see the next illustration and commentary.
Student assistants from the University Scholars Program, National University of Singapore, scanned this image and added the caption material and verse under the supervision of George P. Landow. Additional comments by Ray Dyer. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the site and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Last modified 8 May 2021