Sometimes it’s the simplest White Witch portraits that are the most effective, like this one here, which substitutes glacial green for the ubiquitous blue tones that are usually used for the background. It’s part of a homeschool art lesson.
Another simple, yet effective, witch, with a gray or pewter cast. She seems not so evil here. I sense some… yearning from her? Maybe with a little persuasion she could have been swayed to Aslan’s side.
A haughty White Witch offering up one measly piece of Turkish Delight! That’s not right.
I like the stylization though, which seems Disney-inspired. I’m seeing Cinderella’s wicked stepmother here and a little Cruella DeVille..
Now here’s a very rare White Witch.
It’s a still from the 10-episode ITV serialization of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe that aired in 1967. Only two episodes remain; the rest has vanished forever, as ITV was not in the habit of archiving its productions back then — they preferred to record over the precious tape. Elizabeth Wallace plays the witch, with George Claydon as her Dwarven flunky. Episode 8 can be watched here.
Costume-wise, the witch’s crown echoes Tilda Swinton’s in being a mass of icicles, though instead of coming through her hair they’re attached to a glittery helmet. Her makeup is decidedly Vulcan which dates the production, as does Edmund’s Beatle cut. The cheapness of the budget shows in the groovy geodesic metal and plastic display that serves as her “castle.”
I call the pic rare because I’ve been searching for almost 10 years of Narnian Summers for good photo stills of this production. The internet gives up, eventually, for the patient.
There’s some more info about it here.
This is a gown is from a Chinese designer, likely a one-off used to add glamour to a fashion show. But she’s very White Witchy, and I could see her being in some high-end stage production of the book.
The next three witches are very different from the usual fare.
First there’s this odd, terrifying creature from a Norwegian language edition. Decidedly NOT glamorous. The artist must have read the book though, as she’s symbolically melting into a summer meadow of grass and flowers. There’s even a little mouse nibbling at some grass seeds, a foreshadowing of Aslan’s unbinding at the stone table. But those clawlike red fingernails, yuck.
In Scandinavia a witch is a witch and never to be gussied up.
Then there’s cover, which is the libretto for a musical version of the book, not the book itself. Even so, why are the witch and Aslan hanging around together in front of the wardrobe, which is back in England? Maybe she did some exploring and Aslan is persuading her to go back.
Here’s another wardrobe mishap: the White Witch strokes a fur coat that she sees through the wardrobe as if coveting it. None of that was in the book, but this is AI, so something got lost in the translation.
Now here’s the most bizarre White Witch I’ve yet to see: she’s trapped in a birdcage. And Lucy’s crying over it! (This is the title graphic for an abridged Youtube version of the story.)
