STEWART, Robert after John TOWNSEND
Mezzotint. State ii/ii, with engraved inscription. In excellent condition with the exception of being trimmed on the plate mark. Image slightly rubbed in places. Image size: 13 x 10 inches. A rich impression of this outstanding portrait of James Ferguson, the astronomer whose writings made the complex world of scientific theory available to the general public. James Ferguson was one of the popularisers of science, and a talented inventor and astronomer. Born in Scotland to a shepherd in 1710, Ferguson left Scotland for London in 1743. He worked in several different professions before being able to dedicate himself to scientific study; he was a shepherd, a milliner, a farmer, and a portrait painter. During the twenty-six years that Ferguson worked drawing portraits, he religiously followed his scientific studies and inventions. In 1748, he was able to dedicate himself to a career as writer and lecturer, and at these he was wildly successful. The key to this success lay in his clarity; he brought complex theories to the layman in understandable writing and impassioned lectures. Following his aim, Ferguson invented remarkable machines and didactic mechanisms with which to demonstrate basic Newtonian principles. His most admired work, entitled 'Astronomy explained on Sir Isaac Newton's Principles' was so much in demand that it remained in print for over fifty-five years. Ferguson was one of the first writers to bring astronomy to a public thirsty for knowledge, his passion inspired generations of amateur scientists and his inventions helped people conceptualize astronomical motion. For example, his orrery of 1750 demonstrated the path of the Earth around the Sun, and the Moon around the Earth, showing both the elliptical path of the Moon and how the Earth's axial rotation creates the seasons. In Townsend's distinguished portrait, Ferguson is shown holding a celestial globe, the tool of his trade and a symbol of his academic accomplishments. (DNB) Chaloner Smith, British Mezzotinto Portraits 5 state not described; Russell, English Mezzotint Portraits, and their States iii/iii O'Donoghue, Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits. in the British Museum 2, Lennox-Boyd & Stogdon state ii/iii.
WILLIAMS, Edward (artist)
Pen and ink drawing by Edward Williams, signed at foot '1839. Edward Williams. 1839.'. A fine example of the Naval folk art of the period. The drawing is in two parts: the upper section shows a half length semi-caricature portrait in profile of an English Royal Navy seaman with arms crossed holding a 'grog' cup, within an oval border bearing the names of English victories at sea 'St. Vincent La Hogue Camperdown Copenhagen Trafalgar Nile &c. &c.'. The border is supported by the just visible end of a cannon to the left and an anchor to the right. The second half of the drawing is a shaped rectangle of black with an outlined eight-line poem: "Oh! There's a Land, of ev'ry Land the pride, / Belov'd of Heav'n o'er all the World beside. / There is a Spot of Earth supremely blest, / A Dearer, Sweeter spot, than all the rest. / Where shall that land, that Spot of Earth be found? / Art Thou a Man/ A Patriot? Look around, / Oh, Thou shalt find, howe'er thy footsteps roam. / That Land, thy Country - And that Spot, thy Home." (From James Montgomery's poem Home).
PENNELL, Joseph (1857-1926)
Watercolor and gouache, on thick paper mounted to board, Signed within the image lower right, titled on the mount. Century Company label on verso. Image size: (14 3/4 x 10 3/4 inches). Published in The Century Magazine, Vol. 55, No. 3 (January 1898), as an illustration within an essay by Elizabeth Robbins Pennell titled "The Lord Mayor's Show." Joseph Pennell (1857-1926) is best known now for his etchings of New York City and Europe. He frequently collaborated with his wife, Elizabeth Robbins Pennell (1855-1935), as here in this drawing he did for an article she wrote for The Century Magazine. The Lord Mayor's Show celebrates the annual inauguration of the new Lord Mayor of London. Pennell has chosen the Mounted Band of the Queen's Household Cavalry portion of the Show. The Queen then was, of course, Victoria, but the mounted drummer and trumpeters are very much today as they were then. Pennell's depiction of the musical cavalry on white horses suggests the thrill of their approach in contrast to the foggy London sky, gray ancient buildings and the dark crowds on either side.
JONES, John after Thomas HARDY
Mezzotint. Proof before title. Printed on fine laid paper. In pristine condition. Image size: 17 3/16 x 13 13/16 inches. A magnificent proof impression of John Jones's stunning portrait of William Osborne, the famous man-midwife. William Osborne was a renowned man-midwife, whose inventions and voluminous writings greatly expanded the medical field. He became licentiate in midwifery of the College of Physicians in 1783, at which he was a respected lecturer and an admired researcher. He invented an improved obstetric forceps and published numerous essays on the practices of midwifery. Chaloner Smith, British Mezzotinto Portraits 58, state not described; Russell, English Mezzotint Portraits, and their States or i/iii; O'Donoghue, Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits. in the British Museum 1, i/ii; Lennox-Boyd & Stogdon, state i/iiv.
STADLER, Joseph Constantine (1780-1812) after John ''Warwick" Smith [1749-1831]
Hand-coloured aquatint engraving. Very good condition apart from some overall light foxing in the margins. A picturesque view of the Pyran falls near Hafod House from "Tour to Hafod," a fine collection of plates depicting the mansion and its surrounding landscape engraved by Stadler after drawings by Smith. In his text, J. E. Smith describes Pyran as "one of the most favourite water-falls" and explains how it "terminates an umbrageous glen in the most advantageous manner, opening upon the spectator by degrees, till the whole is seen in perfection" (p. 13). Comprised of 15 views, Tour to Hafod also included comprehensive descriptive text by the scientist and collector James Edward Smith. The work was most likely intended as a tribute to the social benefactor and literary man Thomas Johnes (1748-1816), who devoted much of his life to his home region of Cardiganshire, where he served as a lord-lieutenant, a colonel in the militia, and an MP for the borough of Cardigan. Located in Cardiganshire, Western Wales, Hafodychtryd or Hafod for short, was Johnes's country estate. Hafod House, his principal residence, was erected in 1785 in the "gothic" style of Thomas Baldwin of Bath. Upon settling there, Johnes set about ameliorating the conditions of the local poor by providing them with comfortable housing and employing them in a planting project that would beautify the neighboring areas. In addition to his concern for social welfare, he was extremely interested in improving parts of Cardiganshire and actively involved himself in the building of roads and bridges. Born in Irthington in 1749, John "Warwick" Smith was an accomplished topographical draughtsman and watercolourist, who enjoyed the generous patronage of the Earl of Warwick. In addition to his fine engravings of Italy, he contributed numerous illustrations to topographical publications such as Select Views in Great Britain (1812), Views of the Lakes of Cumberland (1791-5), Tour through Wales (1794), and A Tour to Hafod (1810). In 1805, Smith became a member of the Watercolour Society, where he frequently exhibited his works. Cf. Abbey, Scenery of Great Britain and Ireland 533; cf. Dictionary of National Biography.
STADLER, Joseph Constantine (1780-1812) after John "Warwick" Smith [1749-1831]
Hand-coloured aquatint engraving. Very good condition apart from a 2 1/2" loss in the top right corner, several small tears at the edges of the sheet, and a few skillfully repaired tears in the margins. A picturesque view of the lowest cascade of the great fall of the Fynnach, "one of the loftiest and most celebrated in South Wales," from "Tour to Hafod," a fine collection of plates depicting Hafod House and its surrounding landscape engraved by Stadler after drawings by Smith (Smith, p. 21). Comprised of 15 views, Tour to Hafod also included comprehensive descriptive text by the scientist and collector James Edward Smith. The work was most likely intended as a tribute to the social benefactor and literary man Thomas Johnes (1748-1816), who devoted much of his life to his home region of Cardiganshire, where he served as a lord-lieutenant, a colonel in the militia, and an MP for the borough of Cardigan. Located in Cardiganshire, Western Wales, Hafodychtryd or Hafod for short, was Johnes's country estate. Hafod House, his principal residence, was erected in 1785 in the "gothic" style of Thomas Baldwin of Bath. Upon settling there, Johnes set about ameliorating the conditions of the local poor by providing them with comfortable housing and employing them in a planting project that would beautify the neighboring areas. In addition to his concern for social welfare, he was extremely interested in improving parts of Cardiganshire and actively involved himself in the building of roads and bridges. Born in Irthington in 1749, John "Warwick" Smith was an accomplished topographical draughtsman and watercolourist, who enjoyed the generous patronage of the Earl of Warwick. In addition to his fine engravings of Italy, he contributed numerous illustrations to topographical publications such as Select Views in Great Britain (1812), Views of the Lakes of Cumberland (1791-5), Tour through Wales (1794), and A Tour to Hafod (1810). In 1805, Smith became a member of the Watercolour Society, where he frequently exhibited his works. Cf. Abbey, Scenery of Great Britain and Ireland 533; cf. Dictionary of National Biography.
JAZET, Jean Pierre Marie (1788-1871) after Etienne BOUHOT (1780-1862)
Colour printed aquatints. Printed on wove paper. "Le Courier De La Malle": in excellent condition with the exception of being trimmed within the platemark on all sides. A number of small tears along the edges of the sheet. A small area on the bottom margin has been infilled. Image size: 13 1/2 x 21 1/2 inches. Sheet size: 16 5/8 x 23 7/8 inches. "La Diligence": in excellent condition with the exception of two expertly repaired tears along left side of sheet. Framed and matted in attractive black wood frames. Image size: 13 1/2 x 21 1/2 inches. Frame size: 25 x 32 inches. A stunning pair of aquatints by Jazet after the celebrated French landscape painter Etienne Bouhot. This beautiful pair of aquatints by Jazet, after paintings by Etienne Bouhot, are a wonderful example of Bouhot's unique style. A Burgundian artist, Bouhot made a reputation for himself as a talented architectural landscape painter. He exhibited regularly at the Salon and produced many fine paintings of the countryside surrounding Paris. The Industrial Revolution did not take hold in France until the 1830's when slowly factories began to appear across the countryside and the railways made their way into smaller towns across France. The modernization of the countryside had a great impact on French landscape painters but it was not until the work of the Impressionists, at the close of the century, that the symbols of Industrialization began to appear in images of rural France. For many years artists tended to ignore the factories and railways that littered the countryside, opting to paint an idealize vision of the country as a bucolic paradise. Although not as obvious as the Impressionists, Bouhot was one of the few artists to hint at the encroaching clouds of modern industry. His moody paintings capture a pivotal time in French history when the countryside was slowly transformed by modern industry. This remarkable pair of aquatints are a superb example of Bouhot's complex paintings. Instead of depicting an idealized vision of the countryside, Bouhot has chosen to show the effect of modernization on rural life. Jean Pierre Marie Jazet was one of the most prominent aquatint engravers of the Napoleonic era. He worked almost exclusively in aquatint, reproducing the paintings of the grand Republican artists such as David, Vernet, de Gros, and Grenier. Although the majority of his prints were patriotic images, he also produced many fine aquatints of pastoral paintings and genre scenes. His fresh images exhibit he beauty of the medium and exemplify his amazing technical ability. His extremely complex prints are fluid yet detailed; they express the beautiful painterly technique of the medium while exhibiting the precision of the reproductive arts. This pair is a veritable tour de force and a superb example of Jazet's talents as an engraver. Grand Larousse du XIXe's.
DUNKARTON, Robert (1744-c. 1810) after Anthony VAN DYCK (1599-1641)
Mezzotint. State v/v, with the plate regrounded and reworked; face darker, details of rock-face obscured, inscription altered to previous state. In pristine condition. Image Size: 15 1/8 x 11 7/8 inches. A breathtaking impression of this stunning print by Robert Dunkarton, the master of the English mezzotint. This portrait of Lady Wharton (1594-1654) by van Dyck was one of the paintings that George Walpole sold to Catherine the Great, and which John Boydell had preserved for the nation in mezzotint by Dunkarton. Robert Dunkarton is considered to be a master of English mezzotint; his complicated images distinguish themselves with their rich detail and precise execution. His bold style focuses on the play between light and shade, forming a surface consistency which creates velvety tones and rich textures. Dunkarton practiced his trade in London during the close of the eighteenth century. He learned his skill as an engraver from the printmaker William Pether whose dark intimate style can be seen reflected in his pupil's work. Dunkarton began his career as a portrait painter, exhibiting at the Society of Artists and the Royal Academy between 1768 and 1779, after which he concentrated solely on printmaking. As an engraver he is known for his striking portraits after old master painters like Van Dyck, such as this stunning portrait of Lady Wharton from the Houghton Gallery, but some of his work at this period reproduces the works of contemporary painters like Reynolds and Copley. Chaloner Smith, British Mezzotinto Portraits 40, not described; Russell, English Mezzotint Portraits, and their States 40, not described; O'Donoghue, Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits. in the British Museum 1; Lennox-Boyd & Stogdon, state v/v.
Colour-printed aquatint with additional hand-colouring. Lovely contemporary colour. As usual text line is attached on verso of sheet. In excellent condition. Trimmed as usual and mounted on washline background. Mounting sheet is watermarked laid paper. Image size: 11 3/4 x 17 1/8 inches. A wonderful view of Dunoly Castle, Scotland. in the grand tradition of the picturesque English landscape. Dunollie Castle is north of Oban on the western coast of Scotland. It is a castle, now ruin, that was built in the 14th century. Towards the middle of the eighteenth century a trend developed amongst English artists and printmakers, which sought to visually record the natural beauties of England and Wales. Sparked by a sense of national confidence and patriotism, English printmakers began to publish topographical prints of the important sights in the British Isles. In addition to being a visual record of the countryside, they were meant to encourage public recognition of the beauty and history of England. They were aimed at English and foreign tourists who desired a memento of their travels, or at those vicarious tourists who collected topographical prints instead of traveling. At the same time the concept of the picturesque landscape developed amongst artists and printmakers across England and Europe. As an aesthetic theory the picturesque presents an idealized and sentimentalized view of nature. Using this concept, artists strove to depict nature as an aesthetic form, which was designed to evoke awe and amazement in the viewer. This practice developed a visual language for landscape painting that dominated the genre until the onset of the twentieth century. The effects of the picturesque on landscape painting, in a large measure, forms the way we see the countryside today, and the manner in which we perceive and interpret "beauty". According to "the picturesque" nature is wild and abandoned yet it conforms to a symmetrical structure that defines a sense of beauty and visual harmony. This is a wonderful example of a picturesque eighteenth century landscape print. By trimming the image within the platemark and mounting it on a decorative washline background the print has the effect of a landscape painting. The likeness is heightened by the addition of added body colour in the image and the use of a heavy painterly technique of engraving. This practice was common amongst engravers and printsellers who wished to capitalize on this trend for picturesque landscapes of the English countryside. This print is from the famed Oettingen-Wallerstein collection, which was compiled over two centuries by various members of the royal household. The collection is known for its stunning impressions and the immaculate condition of its prints. Clayton, The English Print 1688-1802 p. 155; Lugt, Les Marques de Collections, (Supplement) 2715a.
Etching and aquatint with hand-colour. Lovely contemporary colour. As usual text line is attached on verso of sheet. In excellent condition. Trimmed as usual and mounted on washline background. Mounting sheet is watermarked laid paper. Image size: 14 5/8 x 20 1/4 inches. A charming landscape by Samuel Ireland, the engraver and collector connected with the infamous Shakespeare forgeries. Ireland was a minor engraver and publisher who worked in London at the close of the eighteenth century. He was an avid art and manuscript collector, and many of the works that he engraved and published were after pieces found in his own collection. This romantic continental view is after a painting by David Tenier, which was in Ireland's collection at the time. This image operates as both an example of the picturesque tradition in eighteenth century landscape prints, and as an advertisement and promotion of Ireland's celebrated collection. With this image Ireland presents himself as both a serious engraver and a respected collector. Unfortunately, today Ireland is better remembered for his involvement in the Shakespeare forgeries than for his evocative prints. Over a period of many years Ireland's son, William Henry, sold his father a series of forged manuscripts, which he claimed to be written in Shakespeare's hand. Ireland, who willingly trusted his son, added these forgeries to his collection and presented them in an exhibition to the literary community, who accepted them as genuine. The charade progressed so far that an invented play entitled 'Vortigern', which William Henry had written and presented as a missing work by Shakespeare, was performed at Sheridan's Drury Lane theatre by some of the leading actors of the age. When the hoax was eventually discovered Ireland's reputation was ruined, and his son was disgraced. This print is from the famed Oettingen-Wallerstein collection, which was compiled over two centuries by various members of the royal household. The collection is known for its stunning impressions and the immaculate condition of its prints. Dictionary of National Biography; Lugt, Les Marques de Collections, (Supplement) 2715a.
Aquatint engraving printed in colour à la poupée on wove paper. Very good condition apart from some overall light soiling and minor foxing. Trimmed close to plate mark on all sides. A striking beautifully coloured engraving after the renowned 16th-century Venetian Mannerist Tintoretto. A representation of the Italian painter's enigmatic mistress, this plate is part of a series of three aquatints Debucourt completed after paintings by Tintoretto, Rubens, and Raphael depicting their respective mistresses. This print is a stunning example of the single plate colour printing technique used in France beginning in the 18th century. The effect is achieved by inking a single plate with several different colours by using a rag stump, a process known as à la poupée. The outcome achieved by this laborious method of inking has a wonderful painterly effect and creates a delicacy of image, which is charming to behold. Although a painter by training, Philibert-Louis Debucourt is primarily renowned as one of the most innovative colour printmakers of the eighteenth century. Born in 1781, he studied with Joseph Marie Vien at the French Academy. After several years of exhibiting his paintings at the Salon, he turned to printmaking in 1781. During the mid 1780s, he began experimenting with the complicated multiple-plate colour printing process, a technique that was refined and revolutionized by Jean-François Janinet. Debucourt found success with his colour intaglio prints of Parisian high society, and he quickly earned a reputation as a skilled and prolific engraver. The bulk of his prints, however, were based on paintings by other artists and completed after the turn of the century. Despite his intense focus on printmaking, he continued to exhibit his paintings alongside his engravings at the Salon throughout his life. Cf. Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs, vol. 4, p. 323; cf. Regency to Empire: French Printmaking 1715-1814, p. 346; Fenaille, L'oeuvre gravé de P.-L. Debucourt (1755-1832), pp. 257-8.
Hand-coloured engraving, printed on wove paper. Very good condition apart from some overall light soiling and a few small losses and skillfully repaired tears along the edge of the top margin. A few small surface abrasions along the exterior of the platemark. Trimmed virtually to the platemark on the right side. A beautifully coloured print of the newly constructed Fort Belvedere in Windsor Forest, Berkshire. Erected by the Duke of Cumberland in 1755, Belvedere was expanded into a hunting lodge for King George IV. The triangular turreted structure was set amidst a dense plantation of trees and overlooked Virginia Water, a man-made body of water constructed by Thomas and Paul Sandby at the behest of the Duke. Belvedere was later renovated and inhabited by Edward VIII, Prince of Wales. Brother of the celebrated artist Paul Sandby, the architect and draughtsman Thomas Sandby was an eminent artist in his own right. Essentially self-taught, he moved to London, where he assumed the position of draughtsman and personal secretary of William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, whom he attended on his military campaigns in Scotland and the Netherlands from 1743 to 1748. On these expeditions, he made many detailed sketches of the various battles, encampments, and scenery he observed. Upon being chosen ranger of Windsor Park in 1746, Cumberland appointed Sandby deputy ranger, a position he would hold for the duration of his life. During his tenure as deputy ranger, Sandby inhabited the lower lodge and was responsible for overseeing modifications made to the park's land and any renovations to its buildings including Cumberland Lodge. He illustrated the many projects he undertook, and several of his drawings and designs were engraved and published as folios. In addition to his duties at Windsor, Sandby designed a number of houses in the adjacent neighborhood and was appointed architect and master-carpenter of his majesty's works in 1777 and 1780 respectively. Like his brother, he was an original member of the Royal Academy, where he regularly taught and lectured on architecture. Cf. Dictionary of National Biography.
15 7/8 x 11 1/8 inches. Engraving. A portrait of Sir William Hamilton showing his head and torso. Sir William Hamilton (1730-1803), was a British diplomat, antiquarian, and vulcanologist. He served as British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples from 1764 to 1800 and, soon after, began studying the volcanoes Vesuvius and Etna, publishing several papers on their activity. He had an extensive art and vase collection, many from Greece and Rome, which eventually went to the British Museum. Sir Hamilton was also known through his second wife, Emma Hamilton, who is remembered as Admiral Horatio Nelson's mistress.
Engraving. A portrait of Sir William Hamilton, his head and shoulders captured in an oval. Sir William Hamilton (1730-1803), was a British diplomat, antiquarian, and vulcanologist. He served as British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples from 1764 to 1800 and, soon after, began studying the volcanoes Vesuvius and Etna, publishing several papers on their activity. He had an extensive art and vase collection, many from Greece and Rome, which eventually went to the British Museum. Sir Hamilton was also known through his second wife, Emma Hamilton, who is remembered as Admiral Horatio Nelson's mistress.
(20 3/4 x 14 1/4 inches). Second edition deluxe large paper issue with wide margins. 43 double-page engravings after Abraham van Diepenbeke including 42 numbered 1-42, and the unnumbered 1658 title with Anvers imprint. Engraved head-piece to first dedication. Numerous woodcut illustrations throughout the text, and woodcut historiated and inhabited initials, head- and tail-pieces, and printer's ornaments. [12] [1]-236. 248 pp. Letterpress title with London imprint and four dedications to Henriette Cavendishe-Holles, the King of Grande-Bretagne, Charles Vicomte de Mansfield, and to Cavaliers. Avertissement, avant-propos, four livres plus an Abbrege de la Cavalerie, conclusion, additions, table des chapitres. With incisive manuscript commentary pencilled in the margins in both French and English. Text in French. Bound to style in eighteenth-century half leather over eighteenth-century comb marbled paper-covered boards and marbled endpapers Deluxe large paper issue of Cavendish's classic 1737 treatise on equestrianism, with 43 splendid double-page engravings: "The illustrations are among the most beautiful to ever grace equestrian literature." [Ramsay] Though considered a country of horse lovers, England only produced one early master of classical riding: William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle, who was a Royalist living in exile until the restoration of King Charles II. During his exile, Cavendish opened a riding school in Belgium and wrote the present work, La Méthode et Invention Nouvelle de Dresser les Chevaux. This text was the first of Cavendish's two important books on breeding and training horses, and was translated into French from his English manuscript and published in Antwerp in two issues: 1657 and 1658, though many of the 1657 title-pages have been altered by hand to read 1658. The first printing was largely incinerated by a fire in the bookseller's shop and is all but impossible to acquire. [Brunet] Offered here is the deluxe large paper issue of the second edition of Cavendish's first book, a work long cherished by bibliophiles for its typographical excellence and the masterful quality of its illustrations. It is a work that has been esteemed by countless generations of horsemen and revered by such master riders as La Guérinière, Comte d'Aure, and Steinbrecht. It is a landmark of equestrianism. [Steinkraus] Cavendish's book has been called the only really outstanding work on the subject written by an Englishman. [Toole-Stott] In it Cavendish discusses a wide variety of equine subjects, including the recognition of the age and disposition of a horse; the characteristics of various types of horses, such as the Spanish, the Barb, the English horse, and the Arabian; methods of maintenance; and instructions on proper riding: "You must in all Airs follow the strength, spirit, and disposition of the horse, and do nothing against nature; for art is but to set nature in order, and nothing else." Of the 43 wonderful double-page engraved plates after Abraham van Diepenbeke, 24 depict the multiple stages Cavendish and his assistant Captain Mazin employed in training horses in complicated maneuvers. The quality of the impressions in the present 1737 edition surpasses even those of the original edition. [Steinkraus] This was the first edition of La Méthode et Invention Nouvelle de Dresser les Chevaux to be published in England, with engravings pulled from the original 1658 copperplates, which were acquired by the publisher Jean Brindley. Brunet I, 1700. Graesse II, 93. Huth 23. Lowndes 1663. Mennessier de la Lance II, p. 250. Nissen ZBI 848. Podeschi, Mellon Books on the Horse and Horsemanship, pp. 26, 49. Ramsay, "Early Dressage Literature to 1800," IOBA, 6.9.03. Steinkraus, Introduction to A General System of Horsemanship, 2000. Toole-Stott, Circus and the Allied Arts: A World Bibliography 84. Wing N884-87.
Hand coloured lithograph. Image size: 11 3/16 x 9 1/4 inches. This lithograph of Martin Van Buren, depicts the eighth president with a composed expression, capturing the calm authority and political acumen that shaped his time in office. This lithograph of Martin Van Buren presents a stately portrait of the eighth President of the United States. Van Buren, often referred to as the "Little Magician" for his political skill, is depicted with an air of authority, his expression calm and composed. The print captures Van Buren in a formal seated position, dressed in dark, elegant attire, reflecting the stature and dignity he brought to his roles as a senator, vice president, and president. His time in office marked a pivotal period of political realignment, and this portrait conveys the confidence and leadership for which he was known. Currier's lithographs were originally produced for a broad audience, making fine art accessible to the growing middle class in the mid-19th century. Today, they serve as valuable cultural artifacts, offering a window into how Americans of the time revered their leaders.
Lithograph by W. Gauci, printed in tints by M. & N. Hanhart, coloured by hand. Good condition apart from some overall light soiling and minor foxing. An evocative image of the Lake District, an area renowned as the cradle of the Romantic Movement in Britain. The Lake District, an area of only some 700 square miles, contains all the main English lakes and is found within the northwestern counties of Cumbria and Lancashire. 'The Lakes' (as the area is also known) first came to prominence with the rise of the cult of the Picturesque in the second half of the 18th century, but it was Wordsworth, a native of Cumbria, born in 1770 on the outskirts of the Lake District itself, who really made it a mecca for those in search of the romantic ideal of landscape. He was joined in the area, at one time or another, by Robert Southey, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats, Lord Byron, Sir Walter Scott, Thomas de Quincey and many others. By the middle of the 19th century, when the present image was produced, the area was well established in the national consciousness as the area of outstanding natural beauty in England. Bristol-born James Baker Pyne is now considered by many to have been second only to Turner in his ability to capture the essence of the English landscape. After training initially for the Law, he turned to painting in his twenties. He moved to London in 1835, where he exhibited at the Royal Academy and the Society of British Artists (where he later became vice president). He travelled widely throughout Britain and Europe, but he is perhaps best known for his series of views of the Lakes, painted between 1848 and 1851. Cf. Abbey Scenery 196 (1859 edition); cf. Tooley 387.
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