Artwork
Ollie in the Jungle Courts
Ollie in the Jungle Courts is a drawing by Emily Sutton. It dates from 2011 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
This drawing shows Ollie dreaming he’s chased by a tiger in a jungle that’s actually the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Cast Room. It’s part of a children’s book called Clara Button and the Magical Hat Day.
The book was published the same year Emily Sutton drew this, in 2011. She got her illustration degree from Edinburgh College of Art just three years earlier.
Look up Emily Sutton next.
Overview
The drawing by Emily Sutton serves as an interior illustration for the 2011 children’s book *Clara Button and the Magical Hat Day*. It depicts a fantastical scene in which Ollie, Clara’s brother, imagines himself fleeing a tiger through a lush, imagined jungle that is actually the Cast Room of the Victoria and Albert Museum, with the ancient Trajan’s Column visible in the background.
Subject & Meaning
In the composition, Ollie’s dream merges the museum’s architectural elements with a wild rainforest, suggesting a playful tension between the orderly world of cultural heritage and the untamed imagination of a child. The tiger’s pursuit underscores the excitement of adventure, while the inclusion of Trajan’s Column anchors the fantasy in a recognizable historical setting.
Technique & Style
Sutton employs a clear, line‑driven illustration style reminiscent of mid‑century picture‑book art, combining precise architectural rendering with expressive, slightly exaggerated figures. Her use of simplified forms and a limited colour palette reflects influences from 20th‑century illustrators and folk‑art traditions, creating a vivid yet accessible visual narrative for young readers.
History & Provenance
Emily Sutton, a Yorkshire‑born illustrator, completed a BA (Hons.) in Illustration at Edinburgh College of Art in 2008. The drawing was produced three years later for the first edition of the book, published in 2011. Since then, it has remained part of the book’s visual identity and is reproduced in promotional materials for the title.
Context
*Clara Button and the Magical Hat Day* is set within the Victoria and Albert Museum, using the institution’s spaces as a backdrop for the story’s magical events. The illustration thus functions both as a narrative device and as a visual guide to the museum’s interior, inviting readers to explore the real and imagined layers of the V&A’s collections.
Artist & collection
Artist
Emily Sutton is an English illustrator. She is known for her illustrations in children's picture books inspired by vintage artwork and old objects.
