The Paper Castle

“The Steadfast Tin Soldier” (Danish: Den standhaftige tinsoldat) is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a tin soldier’s love for a paper ballerina. After several adventures, the tin soldier perishes in a fire with the ballerina. The tale was first published in Copenhagen by C.A. Reitzel on 2 October 1838 in the first booklet of Fairy Tales Told for Children. New Collection. The booklet consists of Andersen’s “The Daisy” and “The Wild Swans”. The tale was Andersen’s first not based upon a folk tale or a literary model. “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” has been adapted to various media including ballet and animated film.

In Hans Christen Andersen’s story, a tin solider, the last made in his set, was made with only one leg because there was not enough tin to complete him.  The soldier fell in love with a paper ballerina that stood in the doorway of a paper castle. He thought that because she stood on one leg, that she could love him, too.

Watercolor on Windsor Newton cold press (signed and numbered prints available)