As it turns out, Hans Christian Andersen produced really wonderful, whimsical, and beautiful papercuts when he told stories. He also produced lovely Christmas ornaments out of colored paper. I always think of his melancholy fairy tales -- and was surprised by the humor and quirkiness of these delicate pieces. Happily, you can see a lot more of them t the Digital Library of the Odense City Museum.
The images above are two Christmas ornaments while the images below are examples of his fairy tale scenes and complex folded paper cuts.
Midori Snyder is the author of nine books for children and adults, published in English, French, Dutch, and Italian. She won the Mythopoeic Award for The Innamorati, a novel inspired by early Roman myth and the Italian "Commedia dell'Arte" tradition....
