This illustration is a part of Walter Crane’s book Baby's Own Aesop, Crane’s retelling of the ancient Greek slave Aesop’s famous Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica.
This illustration depicts women laughing at an old man and his son on the bottom left, who is on a donkey. In front of them are the same man and son, on the top left, but this time, the son is walking next to his father, who is on the donkey, while two other men appear to be speaking to the father and son. In front of them, at the top centre, are the same man and son, both on the donkey, with another man speaking to them. In front of them, at the top right, the man and son are walking with their donkey, only to be chastised by strangers again, with one pointing fingers at the father and son. Below the bridge are the donkey’s legs, with nearby people in panic.
The text on the bottom right provides the title, “The Man that Pleased None.” Below the title, the text reads, “Through the town, this good man and his son strove to ride as to please everyone: self, son or both tried, then the ass had a ride; while the world, at their efforts, poked fun.” Another text, below the brief summary of the plot, reads, “You cannot hope to please all…don’t try” - the moral of the fable.
Walter Crane, an English artist and illustrator contributed majorly to children's illustrated literature in the late 19th century. This artwork is his depiction of "The Man That Pleased None" from Baby's Own Aesop, a children's edition of Aesop's fables. The bright vivid colours depict the story with the writing in the right corner carrying the moral.
