Circe
1910
Perched on a windswept cliff, a red-haired enchantress points commandingly toward the horizon while a pride of majestic lions lounges safely behind her. This is Circe from Homer’s Odyssey, and those aren't just pets—those lions are actually sailors she’s bewitched into animal form! Artist Frederick Stuart Church, a master illustrator famous for his animal studies, uses loose, swirling brushstrokes to make the sky look like it's crackling with magic. He swaps the usual ugly pig-transformation for regal beasts, proving that even a sorceress needs a little artistic license to look good.