The LR illustrations Tolkien almost approved

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by jallanite

I notice that in the pictures on the web, the figures are too far away to see clearly or have hair covering their ears. It appears that the question of whether Tolkien’s Elves were supposed to have pointed ears in the period when Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings will still not be answered. Even if some of the pictures show Elvish ears, that will not indicate that they were among the pictures that Tolkien saw. Or possibly Tolkien was being polite.

For more illustrations, see http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/...y-fairburn.php .

I suppose Galadriel is the only absolutely certain one and as you point out the hairstyle elides the issue. By being polite do you mean in not mentioning the ears or about the pictures generally? His letter to his secretary seems to indicate a genuine enthusiasm for the work.