It’s become quite common to refer to our friend here as the Mad Hatter, but even though he is certainly associated with madness in the books, and the Cheshire Cat tells us he is mad (indeed that “we’re all mad here”), did you know that Carroll never actually used this phrase in the books himself? Instead, he is simply called “the Hatter”, and his madness speaks for itself. Illustration of the Hatter by Kirstin Mills A bit about the “Mad” Hatter: This was a lot of fun to sketch, and I enjoyed incorporating elements of Tenniel’s famous depiction of the character (from both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass) with my own imagining of him. We’d better be quiet so as not to disturb him for he seems to have sipped a little too much from the “Drink Me” bottle, although fortunately as a consequence he’s now small enough to sleep it off in a teacup (like his friend the Dormouse) before nibbling his “Eat Me” cake to grow back to his normal size (should he fancy it – after all, what is normal in Wonderland?). To celebrate today (and as a wonderful way to unwind after marking essays) I dug out my sketch book and pen, and sketched this quick little portrait of the Hatter.

If you’re a fan of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, then today is a rather special day – Mad Hatter Day! In some parts of the world (not any part I’ve ever lived in, but hey, I’ll take any chance for a bit of Carrollian fun!), the 6th of October corresponds to 10/6 – the number on the Hatter’s iconic hat in the original John Tenniel illustrations to Lewis Carroll’s classic book. OctoIn Academic Research All Blog Posts Art & Illustration

Mad hatter hat drawing