The long flowing, tresses are typical of Ford’s designs for Andrew Lang’s annual fairy books and reminiscent of Rapunzel, who was locked up in a tower by an evil enchantress. As there was no door, Rapunzel let down her magnificent braids of long hair, fine as spun gold, through the window. Medieval maidens wore their hair loose and long and the style was revived in aesthetic circles of the late Victorian period as can be seen in Pre-Raphaelite paintings. Occasionally, Valerie Annand, who started her career as an illustrator, created some fabulous figurines which were considered too extravagant for production, making them exceptionally rare.

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