# Edmund Dulac artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/edmund-dulac/
Profile generated: 2026-05-18T21:49:23.533Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Death date: 1953-05-15
- Nationality: French, British
- Movements: Golden Age of Illustration
- Common media: Illustration (watercolour and gouache), Book illustration, Stamp design, Magazine illustration

## About Edmund Dulac

Edmund Dulac (1882–1953) was a French-born illustrator who became one of the most recognisable figures in British book illustration during the early twentieth century. Born in Toulouse, he trained at the École des Beaux-Arts before settling in London, where he quickly established a reputation for richly coloured, imaginative illustrations. His pre-World War I gift books — lavish editions of fairy tales, poetry, and literary classics — defined an era of deluxe publishing. After the war shifted the market, Dulac adapted to magazine illustration, stamp design, and banknote work, contributing designs for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Collectors encounter his work across original watercolour illustrations, printed plates, first-edition books, postage stamps, and magazine covers, making him a significant presence in both illustration-art and works-on-paper markets.

## Common works and media

Dulac's most commonly encountered works include colour plates from deluxe illustrated gift books (particularly fairy-tale and literary editions published between 1907 and 1918), original watercolour and gouache illustrations prepared for those editions, magazine illustrations and cover art from the interwar period, postage stamp designs (notably for the United Kingdom and Commonwealth), banknote designs from the 1940s, and later book-illustration commissions. Printed reproductions of his book plates circulate widely, while original artworks appear less frequently at auction.

## Market and appraisal context

Edmund Dulac's auction presence spans original illustrations, tipped-in colour plates from deluxe gift books, first-edition illustrated volumes, and later commercial work such as stamp designs and magazine art. Original watercolour and gouache pieces tied to major publications tend to be the most sought-after, while printed plates from popular editions are more widely available. Condition of paper and binding, documented provenance linking a work to a specific publication, and whether a piece is an original or reproduction all substantially affect appraisal. Collectors should verify attribution carefully, as Dulac's printed plates have been widely reproduced.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines identity research drawn from library authority files and biographical sources with auction records, sale dates, realised prices, and comparable lot data when available. Market observations are general guides and do not constitute appraisals or price guarantees.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q27032
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Dulac
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500025704
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/56740395/
- RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/24716