June Tee (1889) (Ivory)

While others celebrated New Year’s Eve, Walter Crane (1845–1915) mourned December’s passing. Created sometime around 1889 with his daughter Beatrice (1873–1935), The Procession of the Months synthesizes Walter’s two earlier treatments of the calendrical theme, reflecting age across the gutter between text and image. Walter illustrated the verse that Beatrice wrote. In the case of The Procession of the Months, it seems the images came later, for the preface notes the poem’s creation when she was “quite a child”, demonstrating how “each Season, with its ever-changing beauties, was fully realized by the child’s quick, artistic imagination.” 

Across the sun-warm earth, beneath the leafy trees, sweet June comes tripping forth, fanned by the gentle breeze. Her shining hair flows about her shoulders white, her rosy robe of gauze scarce hides them from the sight. Most sweet her lips, her cheeks do blush like to a bride, for little love behind the rose bushes doth hide. Within her arms she brings a wealth of roses sweet, white, yellow, rosy-red, they're falling to her feet. How fair she makes the earth we all of us well know; but now, though it is time, she lingers, loth to go.