The celebrated book illustrator Arthur Rackham lived at Houghton House from 1920 to 1929 with his wife Edyth Starkie. Initially working as an insurance clerk before studying part-time at Lambeth School of Art, Rackham first gained a reputation for his pen and ink illustrations for books such as Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm. This was further enhanced with the introduction of colour plates. Among the books including his colour illustrations were Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens and Aesop’s Fables, as well as works by Shakespeare such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Lewis Carroll's Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (see walk 28) was a particular triumph for Rackham, indulging his talent for intertwining the sentimental with the grotesque. He soon became established at the forefront of the ‘Golden Age of Book Illustration’, when beautifully designed volumes in special limited editions were hugely popular. His intricate and magical depictions appealed strongly to an Edwardian readership and regular exhibitions were held of his work, including at the Louvre in Paris.

Rackham met Edyth, an Irish portrait painter who had exhibited at the Royal Academy, over a garden wall when they were both living in Hampstead. They had a happy marriage despite their strongly contrasting personalities. Although there was an astonishing sense of wonder behind those wire-framed spectacles, Arthur was still at heart a strait-laced insurance clerk. Edyth, on the other hand, had lived a wild adolescence and possessed a mischievous sense of humour. The pair encouraged each other in their work and Arthur’s studio was full of Edyth’s paintings. The couple left Sussex in 1929 and settled in Surrey, where Arthur died in 1939 and Edyth two years later. They are both commemorated on a plaque in Amberley churchyard (see walk 31). KB