Collage Illustrations

The illustrations depicted in Cinderella are collage art created by Alan Suddon. This type of art includes taking different materials, usually paper, and adjusting them to a desired shape or size and gluing them to a larger sheet of paper, which is the canvas for the illustration. Collage art became prominent in 1912 with the aid of artist Pablo Picasso. Before then it had a long history as folk art. By the 20th century collage art was emerging during postmodernism as a fine art. It was seen as an art form that offered an alternative to logic and reason, transforming the familiar into the unfamiliar and unexpected. Some collages in Suddon's adaptation of Cinderella are double-page spread, while the others are only half page.

The use of collage in this story was used to transform the familiar tale of Cinderella into something almost unrecognizable by incorporating the use of pop culture representations such as news print, cigarette packaging, and pattern fabric. The paper used in the above collage displays an array of colours and many different shapes. On the left hand side of the spread houses are displayed in an open area - one particular house is made of a box of cigarettes. Smoking was widespread in Canadian society during the time of publication, and this is evident in Suddon's work. The chamberlain can also be seen in a purple paper cut-out cloak carrying the glass slipper. On the right hand side at the top of the page the two stepsisters are displayed interacting. Below them is Cinderella holding a broom, with her apron made of torn news paper print, the newspaper signifies her social class and implies she's impoverished.

The use of collage is significant in Cinderella because it deviates from the norms of fairy tale illustrations. It takes something familiar and transforms it into something unfamiliar, something that will stimulate the imagination of a child.