The Sleeping Beauty (circa 1902), by Edward Brewtnall. Oil on canvas (Warrington Art Gallery, image in Public Domain).
In this highly atmospheric painting, Brewtnall focuses on the dramatic moment when the princess is about to be awakened by the prince. The artist builds a strong contrast between life/death, sleeping and waking, and the passage of time is powerfully evoked by the spreading vegetation.
Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke, Senior Editor and Editor for Book Illustration and Design [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Created 15 September 2026