Turning Back The Hands Of The Clock—Step Into A World Of Children’s Stories At The Harry Ransom Center

The Details:

The Exhibit:

When: Ongoing—now through August 17.

Where: Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas (more details; membership info)

Members-Only Opening Party:

When: Thursday, February 27, 2025.

Where: Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas

Do you remember the first book that made the world feel bigger? The one you read by flashlight under the covers? The one whose pages you turned so many times, the spine wore thin? That’s just what Harry Ransom Center is offering up at their new exhibit, “Words & Wonder: Rediscovering Children's Literature.”

Before they became classics, they were scribbled in notebooks, drafted on typewriters, or brought to life through hand-drawn illustrations. Now, fans of children’s literature can see some of those original materials first hand at HRC’s new exhibit.

Here’s a sample of some of the historic art being shown—on the left is an original illustration (circa 1866) from Lewis Carroll’s masterpiece “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,”; and on the right, an original illustration of Eeyore and Piglet (circa 1928), from A. A. Milne’s classic “Winnie-the-Pooh”:

“This exhibition aims to turn back the hands of the clock and reawaken childhood wonder in exhibition visitors of all ages,” Dr. Stephen Enniss, Director of the Harry Ransom Center, said when announcing the new collection.

Here’s what you’ll see:

• First-edition copies of classic children’s books.
• Original sketches, letters, and handwritten edits from the childhood works of now critically acclaimed authors like Gabriel García Márquez, Kazuo Ishiguro, Jayne Anne Phillips, and J. M. Coetzee.
• Magic lantern slides illustrating “Alice in Wonderland” alongside original animation cels from Walt Disney’s beloved 1951 animated adaptation.
• Original illustrations from “The House on Pooh Corner,” “Le Petit Prince,” and Arthur Rackham’s reinterpretations of Edgar Allan Poe’s “Tales of Mystery and Imagination.”
• Costumes and props from early children’s theatre, including Elsie Leslie’s 1890 Broadway costume from “The Prince and the Pauper.”

Eat Me, Drink Me—A Members-Only Celebration Of Childhood Stories

To celebrate the launch of the new exhibit, the Harry Ransom Center is hosting an exclusive members-only Opening Party on Thursday, February 27, 2025. And just as Alice did in Wonderland, guests are invited to enjoy “DRINK ME” cocktails and “EAT ME” hors d’oeuvres.

Get Your Name On The Invite List: Join the Ransom Center community for $60 annually to gain access to exclusive events, priority RSVP access to public programs, and behind-the-scenes exhibition previews.

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