In 1969 Salvador Dalí illustrated a limited edition of the classic 1865 novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (commonly referred to as Alice in Wonderland), written by Lewis Carroll.
In Carroll’s fairy tale, Alice meets a smoking caterpillar in the forest. He is seated on a magic mushroom. Alice and the caterpillar discuss Alice’s adventure thus far and Alice admits to her current predicament of feeling lost. The caterpillar advises that if Alice takes a bite from one side of the mushroom, she will grow large and a bite from the other side will cause her to shrink.
Like all the prints in the series, Alice in Wonderland – Advice from a caterpillar is made from an original gouache painting. This artwork showcases Dalí’s style of painting, often allowing the media to travel down the paper substrate.