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I don't think the illustrations for The Adventures of Tom bombadil need be thought of as necessarily author-approved in detail, even if Tolkien liked them in general. Although Tolkien generally praised the work of Pauline Baynes (and rightly so in my opinion), he is also noted as disliking elements of her depictions relating to the poster map of Middle-earth, and wrote some of his thoughts down in reaction to this artwork.
Only parts of his written commentary have been published to date, but in any case I think Tolkien was too much of a gentleman to have ever wanted Pauline Baynes to know of this commentary. And as the artist was still alive when some of this commentary was published, neither Hammond and Scull for example, nor Christopher Tolkien, chose to describe the context of Tolkien's critique.
By the way, Legolas' hair colour and the shape of Elvish ears does not appear to be included in the unpublished portions, according to Hammond and Scull -- who recently confirmed my guess that they would have published these details, if so. Not that surprising, since in the depiction in question Legolas is hooded in any event.
Also, I too think Pauline Baynes is a great artist, but I have wondered myself lately about the Hobbit's feet in her depiction for this map (not the one made for The Hobbit). My large copy (the poster itself) was accidentally ruined by water long ago now -- but in the copies I do own, it seems that maybe the bottoms have the hair?
Or no? Anyone have the large poster map these days? Ach! that mine did not survive the 1970s!
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