Romancing a Great Fable! Are there examples of illustration incorporating Geranium in the artist's composition?

Here, Robin's research led him to Aesop's Fables and the Auckland, New Zealand-born Artist, who had relocated to London in 1901, aged 23 years, Mr Harry Rountree (1878 - 1950), who created 48 Colour plates for a book printed in Great Britain by Butler & Tanner Limited, Frome & London titled, 'Aesop's Fables, with 48 colour plates painted by Harry Rountree', re told By Blanche Winder (Roma White - pen name of Blanche Winder nee Oram (1866 – 1950) - British poet and writer), [1925] Aesop's Fables Published: London, Ward, Lock and Co Limited (London & Melbourne) Size: 8.5" by 6.5" Pagination: x, 340pp [4pp publisher's adverts].

These beautiful artwork illustrations certainly draw you in and are amusing to children and adults alike.

As the book's preface asserts, here are stories where 'Frogs can distend themselves with air. The lonely Bat is not a Bird, although it looks like one, and Men at times are as absurd as the bewildered astronomer who found a dragon in the moon, or the priceless noodles who fought for the Donkey's shadow. 

In the story of the Elephants and the Moon, it clearly states that,

'Great things may be done by the cleverness of the little to get the better of the big and strong!'

The selected illustration from 'The Widow and Her Little Maidens' depicts the moment when 'the good woman who had two little girls enters the bedroom to awaken them, exclaiming, 'Get up! Get up!' She would say, 

'Don't you hear the cock crowing outside? The sun will be shining over the hill in a moment. Nobody in this house must stay in bed when once the cock has crowed!'

This illustration by Harry Rountree, Photograph © Robin Oliver 2025, has undergone a restoration process to enhance the whiteness of the background. This treatment was necessary due to considerable foxing on the illustration, which affected the image quality.

Note nestled on the window sill a potted Red Geranium! The artist thus has his place where he shines brilliantly in the Geraniums in Art archive.

Aesop's Fables constitutes a compendium of fables attributed to the enigmatic Greek storyteller Aesop, who may have lived during the 6th century BCE. Despite the ambiguity surrounding his historical existence and the absence of any direct writings from him, numerous narratives credited to Aesop have been aggregated over centuries, transcending linguistic and cultural barriers within an oral storytelling tradition. These fables often encapsulate universal themes and incorporate anthropomorphised characters, such as speaking animals and animated objects, which effectively convey moral lessons and reflections on human nature.

Mr Harry Rountree died in his adopted homeland at the age of 72. His work is still appreciated today.