Pan Frontispiece
Published in 1906 and illustrated by Arthur Rackham, Peter Pan’s tale of adventure has captivated audiences for generations since it’s release. This image was included in the first edition and depicts a naked baby surrounded by strange and bizarre fairy like creatures whilst playing the flute. Done in muted colors, it depicts a scene of strangeness between a babe that has the mastery of the flute and consorts with fae folk. What we see is a continued emphasis on children who don’t act or seem entirely like children. Quite clearly, this "child" does not act in manners familiar to us today. It showcases a child in need of saving from it's natural inclination to sinful activities. This baby performs adult like actions, and actions that are less than favourably evaluated. As such, we can see how children were in many ways seen as sinful, i.e. consorting with fae and devilish folk, and that they were very much seen as adults, capable of actions on the same spectrum, without consideration for the bodily or mental capabilities.
