Untitled [troop of elves]

A grim-faced troupe of elves marches along a path in the woods carrying craggy sticks and polearms. Where are they headed? What has them armed and on the move? Scenes such as this came from the imagination of Richard Holzschuh, a gifted illustrator active in Minnesota. He sometimes depicted known fairy tales and folk stories. Other works, like this are hard to pin down. Whether jolly, wondrous, or slightly menacing, his drawings are meticulously executed and full of absorbing detail such as the anthropomorphic tree reacting to the passing elves. A Minneapolis newspaper in 1929 praised his ability to depict, “fantastic creatures with a gentle twist of humor.”