"But what if life were all a dream?"  From The Heart of Princess Osra by Anthony Hope, 1896.

An illustration from The Man Made of Money by Douglas William Jerrold (1892).

An illustration from The Marvellous Adventures of Sir John Maundevile (1895).  The caption reads: "There fled out an head right hideous."

We're always happy to see the Queen of Hearts step out.  From Los Ingleses Tales Como Son Carácter, Leyes, Usos y Costumbres del Pueblo Inglés, y Todas Sus Extravagancias by Tomás Bertrán Soler, 1858.

An illustration from Maid Marian and Crotchet Castle by Thomas Love Peacock (1895).  The caption reads: "The devil in the likeness of a tall friar."

From To India and Back by the Cape by John Corbet Anderson (1895).

The theory that Humpty Dumpty was pushed is nearly as old as the chicken-or-the-egg conundrum, but we finally lay the matter to rest with this evidence of the culprit, from The Baby's Museum by Uncle Charlie, 1882.

An illustration from The Calton Ballads by Catter Thun (1898).

An illustration from A Ramble Round the Globe by Baron Dewar (1894).

From The Book of Days by Robert Chambers, 1864.

An illustration from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894).  The caption reads: "He deliberately knocked the whole thing over."

The owls come to supper with her. From Mum Fidgets by Constance Milman (1892).

Swirling mist is a precursor to the Hollywood cliché of the camera circling two people kissing.  From Mr. Midshipman Easy by Frederick Marryat, 1896.

An illustration from The Crisis of the Revolution by William Abbatt (1899).

Things haven't changed much in the last 120 years. From Stories from the Diary of a Doctor (1894).  The caption reads: "The contents of the paper puzzled him."

An illustration from Japan and its Art by Marcus Bourne Huish (1889).  The caption reads: "A sudden squall. After Hokusai."

Here's the original 'Twinkle Toes.' From Plain or Ringlets by Robert Smith Surtees (1892).  The caption reads: "Prince Pirouetteza."