In the Wandering DMs aftershow chat last Sunday, several of our patrons started swapping classical illustrations of dragons with us. The moral: Dragons have undergone a radical inflation in recent years with the rise of the mass-market fantasy game. Here's a quick perusal over the last few centuries (everything to 1914 being depictions of the same scene, Saint George and the Dragon):
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUpfSlsg1Y6eCIul-RjqCKOqXyRsOMYSVqPCAJ-hNMOOUi6E3LocT09mPiJkYpMxP9d-iFatiy3-DaIkgX28HJFx6g_9bwZnojTuARelo8xsusxKvu4Eaffkwh89jX1YKx94T3P01gyOndcIxCKNjlAsdExnnNtkkvSx6miMoU-HWiI5ek5shYXMjUg/s320/1382-568px-St_George_Royal19BXVII_109.jpg) |
Anonymous, Ms. of Legenda aurea, 1382 | |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDROIlm8jJBTSmYIFBhGMoTtXkz9NR53VmFLYP9WLiKC3HVVWP8mez76of1wChErzk2Eh-r3n5yq7E2I8USm6jAQ2U6h5OYkIp-z8RUGUXTbe77hPgW0zSrMPGJ9PJ5bcYE5JVgNnt9KD64SVLa6AOjw7kDozYytdFYzmJT98boN4a9nFetdVTm2-zIA/s320/1434-378px-Bernat_Martorell_-_Saint_George_Killing_the_Dragon_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) |
Bernat Martorell, 1434 |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguwVVgGrW0ijZz8otrMusGhGG9x--uv4OmjVaNlyFpy3zpXutN-2U1Pk5wVcIprx1yiXdwF056egk_cAjsog3iHbjyXHa3X8-MOqMv6zuyuUyQdElkxqsQti9mTUeCtVh5yBlP2rSkKryzOIlSAKB94oWWp3_zDtfXP5kR1VCqfO91RCr7W-_rAB12A/s320/1501-0410px-Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer_-_Saint_George_Killing_the_Dragon_(NGA_1943.3.3597).jpg) |
Albrecht Dürer, 1501 |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQQ5VlPI023EYkpqdsIHTYR3lJ8508pTUnsT_G4CyhW_X8ji5y4BK5lx17ukKYKdx8ha39WAqP5vPGURyldfkzQBK9aF7jYnAXsQefoRyIu5qcGc-qQwaMTnwF1QFEQGnzRGpUyqEM9YJNa0hwnvYu5dyUh18jBhlSHJiXIZoR1UkxWHsm7y0VZ9wJA/s320/1630-how_saint_georges_dragon_got_its_wings_1050x700.jpg) |
Johann König, 1630 |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaQaZ8Yharh0_6lZqZWyZBNUgU-6Q-RMMES3eQiiRZMH9Fk0iAeYR64V9O3nWi6nqJ_JaUUj05cQqbq8pc3D9_aEJNTOtgvKpv-Wacz5igo7F8HSHtnf8oHFHMO3tKXta1_yoErXKaQWbSBFR4mOkVinqdYJNAkdhP9eKPMqlc3tIaKvFd1ihthyDbw/s320/1700-St._George_the_Victorious_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) |
Unknown, early 1700's |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVdbi3NLwPWx1VQ-gUpSKUQxFEat9-hfKzKg71GuFVX95T1K3FCs_3OUAXKRHyBWmAwghjnqdibFLx0hj3HqCaUusubTSMT4dEJGwKw46MdyC1IIq6WfKltzItNzD7v7VZ5g2xhSFMF9X87IJ_D38z1Qowp9r73G5rFMADg8J3QZHUStgLUse-bJs0w/s320/1889-405px-Stgeorge-dragon.jpg) |
Gustave Moreau, 1889 |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlVBS9D98YjxsGxw1HlUWeun-bx_D14wf1gpI0ih5jyaCHXaaSRcGu4Zic7Wsd2c_CWkj_RpcaNSeVb_n6bqvn-iUGXpIA8Slg5xN4ln7jWol_YibxQaAx7IwhG4nHNdVgOWpvhXCHpRtEkJgZQeFihJwAwUo4FZC1jn_rs5o14wZXl-XBemgJ7wEfA/s320/1914-496px-St._George_and_the_Dragon_-_Briton_Riviere.jpg) |
Briton Rivière, 1914 |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0HXdBRzx-kzgZTWLyiMv1zL-HqJVe3xMHdKLif4epf6KcT4kS-DLXOSwOohmp5UYwwZSMO5PuO3uZLVEhi7VMrTXpbz0S4M-htNEroVJC4w174EizrCAX5b1uiVUnYpjMBzFtnFGXiy9DdT1WvIUjt1h9Rqz7Bc01t3F7Rm2y4egfg9QBo2eP69lzbA/s320/Conversation_with_Smaug.jpg) |
J.R.R Tolkien, 1936 (Bilbo the Hobbit on right)
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULwqa2L0hPPp_uMo0ZK8eWQX5LZURExj6CSGXPJprLxVQgK-OvfahzQAkdUuBOv75Oxxqr2yjJ4csq5dZ1LJdQ2oroBr16jSgqP05hXynFtCCWM6EZpngjPtKbT2ld068sSQw-l1U-JD5LaC-VT_mVBjKtjaYNTPFKfO1q_wvVV-T2PIAEPhnylBbCQ/s1600/DragonFlight-1ECover.jpg) |
1st Edition cover to Anne McCaffrey's Dragonflight, 1968
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwh4CWgvNVD5eA1DIk22Ke0Yjbfn7-w0xVbLBE8Ycpo2KJ36nuwywi4WvNUSkptwk0eXx0OD7PV_lI4_Id8lNqlGpQaoRWd_vT9F_pYoboiZ39Flp67feCc3K5PDpQcPwmzqkkamdrzE0B7i6Q_FAD670CJPvCwxpXnzvOMAv6ZZpOlPiz12bHtOBjA/s320/1984-DragonsOfDespair.PNG) |
Clyde Caldwell, Dragons of Despair, 1984
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVaYXSC3O-fr_FBCipbwQ2Ah7DYZ6V_ceNOUykE5IYMz_miWeDUhBDyzu1qpE8ExutH4HcTQ2u9WOY-3WuYu6tbrLxx6I0P4OWtj9i0XrJDjp3lQdUU2IijFUipwPMeOgCDkFyyc2R9nAbgaVLEZ8fP1XW2yk1o1VCrc7bOfOiuc_6yhVZTss7nURhA/s320/2014-DnDStarterSet.jpg) |
Jaime Jons, 2014 (5E D&D Starter Kit cover) |
My, how quickly they grow up!