Tenniel’s original drawing—which he later hand colored, presumably at the request of a collector—shifts the emphasis to the moment after Alice first speaks to the White Rabbit, and shows the startled creature, now more rabbit-like and no longer in a full suit, scurrying away.
John Tenniel (1820–1914)
The Rabbit Scurried Away into the Darkness
Final drawing (watercolor over graphite on paper), 1864-1865
Private Collection, Photo © Christie's Photo / Bridgeman Images