Who illustrated the first edition of 'The Hunting of the Snark'?

Henry Holiday illustrated the first edition of The Hunting of the Snark.

Lewis Carroll asked Holiday to illustrate his nonsense poem after the two had met in the late 1860s or early 1870s. Carroll initially imagined the work as a shorter piece called The Boojum, but the poem expanded as he wrote additional sections, or “fits.” Holiday ultimately produced nine illustrations, along with the cover artwork.

The book was published by Macmillan on 29 March 1876. Its title page advertised the poem as having nine illustrations by Henry Holiday, while the famous Ocean Chart was primarily typographic art rather than one of Holiday’s engraved illustrations. The images helped establish the book’s distinctive visual identity.

John Tenniel is often associated with Carroll because he illustrated both Alice books, but he did not illustrate The Hunting of the Snark. Holiday’s artwork is especially notable for leaving the Snark itself largely unseen, preserving the poem’s mystery.