The Rare Copy of Alice In Wonderland Illustrated By Salvador Dali Is Haunting And Beautiful

Lisa A. Flowers
Updated September 26, 2019 403.7K views

Salvador Dalí and Alice In Wonderland go together like Beethoven and the sublime. So what could be better than a Dalí illustrated Alice in Wonderland? Only an IRL trip down the rabbit hole itself could possibly compare. The original Dalí/Lewis Carroll collaboration was published by NYC's Maecenas Press (a division of Random House) in 1969, and it subsequently went out of print and became a rare and sought-after collector's item. However, thanks to the delightful Evertype publishing, and the digitizing skills of New York's William Bennett Gallery, Dalí's Alice in Wonderland illustrations are once again available for your viewing pleasure. Read on to explore an annotated gallery of seldom-seen, fabulously psychedelic Salvador Dalí illustrations that might just blow your mind. And to buy your very own copy of this magnificent piece of art, simply click here.

  • The Mock Turtle

    The Mock Turtle
    Photo: Amazon

    The mock turtle, who tells Alice a strange tale (some details of which are reflected in Salvador Dalí's sky) about going to school in the sea.

  • Down The Rabbit Hole

    Down The Rabbit Hole
    Photo: Amazon

    The legendary White Rabbit, looming over a dark and angry Alice.

  • The Pool Of Tears

    The Pool Of Tears
    Photo: Amazon

    A psychedelically rendered Pool of Tears. (Note the hoops Alice is holding, which appear in almost every picture).

  • The Caterpillar

    The Caterpillar
    Photo: Amazon

    The legendary opium-smoking and philosophizing caterpillar, which appears here in two forms – one skyborne and surreal and one perched atop a magic mushroom.

  • The Mad Tea Party

    The Mad Tea Party
    Photo: Amazon

    The Mad Tea Party pictured here as it's never been pictured before, with fiery keys, fiery trees, fiery roots, and a special guest appearance by Dalí's famous melting-clock painting The Persistence of Memory.  

  • The Queen Playing Croquet

    The Queen Playing Croquet
    Photo: Amazon

    A psychedelically – and violently – fabulous depiction of the Queen of Hearts and her bizarre croquet-mallets.

  • Alice And Her Sister?

    Alice And Her Sister?
    Photo: Amazon

    A somewhat religious depiction of what appears to be Alice and her sister, with the "Mystic Rose" of the rabbit hole gaping beneath – or something like that.

  • The Voice Of The Lobster

    The Voice Of The Lobster
    Photo: Amazon

    An up-close and surreal version of the lobster that appears in poem form in the book. Here, it's presented alongside a heaven-to-hell-like tier (though hell appears to be ascending rather than descending) in the background. 

  • The Caucus Race

    The Caucus Race
    Photo: Amazon

    The caucus race between the animals, presented as a surreal sidelong view to the left. (Note the splattery images, which evoke mashed insects).

  • Pig And Pepper

    Pig And Pepper
    Photo: Amazon

    Depiction of the Duchess's sneezing pig-baby. Or, maybe the depiction of a sneeze itself? Who knows. In any case, the sneeze appears to be rising from the bottom of the picture.

  • Frontispiece For The Book

    Frontispiece For The Book
    Photo: Amazon

    This drawing says it all: from the rabbit hole's grassy knoll to full-on surrealism.

  • You Can View Them As A Moving Gallery Of Images Here

    You Can View Them As A Moving Gallery Of Images Here
    Video: YouTube

    Scrutinizing pictures close-up is always a joy, but if you'd rather take a comprehensive-overview trip down the rabbit hole, you can see a virtual gallery of illustrations above.