Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll was originally published in 1865. This year marks its 150th anniversary. Throughout that century and a half, it has been crafted into many different variations. From plays to movies, and even video games, Alice has become a tale that very few people haven’t heard of. With all of the inspirational works, there are a few underlying psychological themes that some may not think about or even notice. By using visuals and bringing the words on the page to life, it is possible to illustrate these concepts.

One of the main themes is a sense of lawlessness or escapism. Alice frequently does not want to deal with her life, so she essentially creates her own world into which she escapes. Wonderland is her daydream, her magnificent escape from reality. Within Wonderland, she is strong and able to battle the things that haunt her during her real life. In the video game Alice: Madness Returns (2011), this concept is illustrated perfectly. Alice, though she is suffering from delusions, is determined to piece her life back together. The majority of the game takes place in Wonderland, but in the “real world” portions, it is easy to see that the events in Wonderland directly correlate to events in reality.

In a way, Alice knows and acknowledges that some of the things she encounters in Wonderland are make believe, but she indulges in them anyway. Through my photography, I hope to express the innocent and curious side of Alice as well as the mentally deranged side. As she follows the White Rabbit and falls into Wonderland, Alice becomes powerful and unafraid. Her curiosity gets the better of her when she meets the Red Queen, who seems to be a dark reflection of Alice. The Red Queen is much more powerful than Alice and attempts to take over Wonderland. In the original story, the Red Queen becomes offended by Alice’s presence and attempts to cut off her head. In theory, Carroll set up his novel for several interpretations because of instances like this one.

Lewis Carroll himself was a photographer. He began in the mid 1800s when photography was still considered a science more than an art. While he was alive, and known as Charles Dodgson, he was a mathematician and logician. His interest in photography was purely scientific because of how it was produced. The wet-plate collodion process was one of the very first photographical processes. It was very precise and needed a lot of attention to detail and patience. Many of Dodgson’s images were of his family and friends, which included young girls. One of these girls, Alice Liddell, became the namesake and inspiration for his famous story. 

Because the photographs would generally take time to set up and produce, Dodgson would create stories to tell to the children. Alice was one of three Liddell sisters and his favorite model. While she would sit, Dodgson began to tell a tale inspired by her. Later, Dodgson and the Liddell family went on a boat trip during which, the beginning of Alice’s Adventures Under Ground was narrated. After the trip, Alice urged Dodgson to continue writing the story for her. At the time, it was merely a child’s tale, but soon, it became Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and was published in 1865 under the name Lewis Carroll. In 1869, he began writing Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There, which was published in 1871.

Carroll is well known for his use of word play and logic within the novels he wrote. Because of this, he is regarded as being a literary master and both children and adults can enjoy his work. There are a few theories that speculate what may have fueled such interesting and strange stories. Some say that while he wrote, Carroll was under the influence of various drugs including hallucinogenic substances. Others may say that he was not right in the head, especially when considering his odd photographs of Alice Liddell. Personally, though I do not know his exact inspirations, I believe that his work is indicative of an adult with the mind of a child. The entire realm of Wonderland is incredibly creative. Because he was a mathematician, perhaps photography, Alice, and Wonderland were his great escape from his own world. While writing, he was allowed to be as creative as he pleased, but he still used logic and word play.

My process in the creation of these images was about reading into the various interpretations of Alice in Wonderland. Because in the “real world,” Alice is very feminine and sane, I chose to have her wearing delicate lace and white. As she falls into Wonderland by following the White Rabbit, she becomes darker, hence the black dress. Within the Wonderland images, it is apparent that the Red Queen wants to overrule Alice and corrupt Wonderland. The slow addition of red tones in these photographs conveys this. In the end, the Red Queen begins her rule when Alice shrinks and becomes defenseless after drinking from a bottle.

This project was very exciting for me to bring to life. As an artist, I’ve always appreciated both classic tales and the interpretations given to them by other artists. From the incredibly stylized Tim Burton film to Carroll’s simple words on a page, all of the different variations of Alice have inspired me for years. Ultimately, Alice is an amazingly complex character who could be half sane, or completely mad. Creating these scenes that depict very particular happenings in the novel was challenging. For the most part, it was about making my own path in order to have a fresh take on the story. Because it is fantasy, I explored different methods of camera work, lighting, and postproduction in hopes of achieving the images I had in mind. I believe that the results, with the amount of work that I put into them, are very rewarding. In the future, I definitely plan on expanding upon this project.