Fairy Riding a Bat (1921)
by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite (Australian, 1888–1960)
A small fairy sits astride a bat in full flight, her posture easy and unafraid — not a passenger but a rider, entirely at home in the dark air. It is a quietly radical image for 1921.
Ida Rentoul Outhwaite was one of Australia's most beloved illustrators, known for her delicate watercolors of fairies, elves, and magical creatures. Her work appeared in children's books throughout the 1910s and 1920s, but her fairies were never merely decorative. They inhabit wild landscapes, float above rocky coastlines and deep seas, and move through the world with a self-possession that was unusual for feminine subjects of the era. Outhwaite's figures don't wait to be rescued — they ride bats through the night.
For walls that know the difference between whimsy and wonder.
Rectangle Canvas Wrap
Gallery-quality canvas with fade-resistant inks and a 1.25" deep pine frame sourced from renewable forests. Arrives wrapped and ready to hang.
- Materials: cotton and polyester composite canvas, pine wood frame
- Inner frame: radiata pine from renewable forests
- Leveling bumpers included for wall protection
- Ready to hang — mounting hardware pre-attached
Care: Dust gently with a clean, damp cloth as needed.