"All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered."

On the Tenth Day of Christmas, my True Love Gave to Me…

On the tenth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Ten Lords a-Leaping
Nine Ladies Dancing
Eight Maids a-Milking
Seven Swans a-swimming
Six Geese a-Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

They’re either Irish or drunk. Or Irish and drunk. Of they’re cangaroos. Our favorite artists have covered pretty much all variants of the situation.

1. Toni Pilling

Lords a-leaping? We need no lords a-leaping. For the artist behind Tee Pee Creations, we’re in sore need of Festive Fords a-beeping. Fair enough.

2. Laura Fisk

If you’re still convinced you don’t need lords but you’re not that much into cars and their noises, Laura Fisk of Fisk and Fern might have what you’re looking for. She did all the 12 days of Christmas with pugs and her pugs are definitely a-leaping.

3. Hester Durkan

I was about to say “it’s not that kind of lords, Hester”, but what do I know? And these lords are definitely a-leaping.

 

I’ve decided to continue showing you beautiful stuff (or at least stuff I think it’s beautiful) even after Christmas, but instead of having monographic articles featuring single illustrators I’ll be grouping them with themes. As a theme I’m picking the Twelve Days of Christmas, a British carol I adore. If you never heard it (you’re clearly not Britsh) I suggest you take a look at this incredible performance.

 

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