On the golden afternoon of July 4th 1862, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (pen name Lewis Carroll) took the three Liddell sisters, Lorina, Alice, and Edith, on a boat ride along the Thames. On the bank at Godstow he told the story of Alice’s Adventures Underground (later renamed Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) for the first time.
Left: Charles Dodgson | Right: Edith Liddell, Lorina Liddell, Alice Liddell
"July 4 Duckworth + I made an expedition up the river to Godstow with the 3 Liddells : we had tea on the bank there, + did not reach Ch. Ch. [Christ Church] again till 1/4 past 8."
"On which occasion I told them the fairy-tale of "Alice's Adventures Under Ground", which I undertook to write out for Alice, of which is now finished (as to the text) though the pictures are not yet nearly done - Feb. 10. 1863"
"'Alice's Hour in Elfland' ? June 9/64"
"'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' ? June 28"
Left: Dodgson's diary | Right: The first edition of Alice published in 1865
163 years later this book, and its sequel Through The Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There, have had an indelible mark on our culture. A classic of children’s literature, it has never gone out of print. It has been translated into 174 languages, adapted into dozens of films (the first of which was made in 1903) and inspired countless works of art. Its nonsensical whimsy and celebration of childhood is beloved by children and adults everywhere.
Illustration of the Mad Hatter's tea party by Sir John Tenniel
Out of any story I’ve read, Alice has had the most profound impact on me. I am forever grateful to the man who told it and then wrote it down, the man who captured its magic with his illustrations, and - above all- the little girl who inspired it.
Left: Alice Liddell, aged 7 (photo by Charles Dodgson) | Right: Alice Liddell, aged 80
“Thus grew the tale of Wonderland: thus slowly, one by one, its quaint events were hammered out and now the tale is done, and home we steer, a merry crew, beneath the setting sun. Alice! A childish story take, and, with a gentle hand, lay it where Childhood’s dreams are twined in Memory’s mystic band. Like pilgrim’s wither’d wreath of flowers pluck’d in far off land.” - All in the Golden Afternoon, Lewis Carroll
