- Museum number
- 1913,0415.186
- Title
- Object: India-Proofs of Wood-Engravings by The Brothers Dalziel
- Description
-
Album with hand-written title page: 'India-Proofs of Wood-Engravings by The Brothers Dalziel. General Work - Various. 1869. This Book was made up at the time the engravings shown in it were done.' Half-bound in brown leather and gilt; lettering on spine reads 'Wood-Engravings by the Brothers Dalziel. XXV. Various Works. 1869'. The album includes approximately 1432 wood-engraved proofs. Following the title-page there is a contents page written by the Dalziels; this is useful, though by no means comprehensive, and it is not a reliable finding aid; it mostly refers to publishers, but occasionally to writers and titles.
The album contains numerous book and periodical illustrations of all sorts, including a large number of mechanical diagrams, and literary illustrations, e.g. to poetry. There are many images aimed at children, including for large picture books (nos. 1385-1432). There is illustrations to travel literature and natural history, including orientalist work. There are illustrations of sports and games, and comic images. There are titles, logos and commercial designs. Many wood engravings for periodicals are included, for 'London Society' and ‘Tom Hood’s Comic Annual’.
Individual prints include the following:
Nos. 1-45: miscellaneous illustrations including numerous commercial images. No. 3 is a colour-printed image of a cocoa plant. No. 6 is lettering for ‘Orlando Jones’ Starch’ and no. 10 an image for the ‘Sun Fire Office’. No. 29 is a large, fold out illustration showing labourers in ‘Maravilla Cocoa Estate’, framed within a cocoa pod (presumably this relates to number 3).
No. 122: a comic strip showing numerous men on bicycles, including silhouettes.
Nos. 216-224: seven wood-engravings after Frederick R. Pickersgill for Henry Alford, ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ (London: Longmans, 1870).
278-320: all the wood-engraved illustrations for John Petherick and Kate Petherick, ‘Travels in Central Africa, and Explorations of the Western Nile Tributaries’, two volumes (London: Tinsley Brothers, 1869).
Nos. 321-328: eight illustrations after Jessie MacGregor, Alfred W. Hunt and W. Eden, for Jean Ingelow, ‘Mopsa the Fairy’ (London: Longmans, 1869).
Nos. 329-763: numerous diagrams and illustrations, mostly of popular science, for an unidentified publication by Frederick Warne.
Nos. 768-769: title and illustrated spine for Eliza Cook, ‘Poetical Works’ (London: Frederick Warne, 1870). In the Chandos Classics series.
Nos. 777-780: illustrations after unidentified designers, including ‘FC’ and ‘JG’, for L. Valentine, ‘The Knight’s Ransom’ (London: Frederick Warne, 1870). Part of the series ‘Warne’s Household Novels’. Printed by Dalziel at the Camden Press. ‘FC’ is perhaps Florence Claxton, though unlike her usual monogram; ‘JG’ is surely not John Gilbert – both the wood engraving as a whole and the monogram are unlike his style.
Nos. 787-792: illustrations mostly or all after an unidentified monogrammist (‘A’), for Christabel R. Coleridge, ‘Lady Betty’ (London: Frederick Warne, [1870]).
Nos. 799-1229: illustrations for John George Wood, ‘The Modern Playmate: A Book of Games, Sports, and Diversions for Boys of All Ages’ (London: Frederick Warne, [1870])
Nos. 1294-1326: illustrations after Ernest Griset to Richard F. Burton, ‘Vikram and the Vampire: Or Tales of Hindu Devilry’ (London: Longmans, 1870).
- Producer name
-
Print made by: Dalziel Brothers (All)
-
Published by: F Warne & Co (Nos. 329-763, 768-769, 777-780, 787-792, 799-1229)
-
Published by: Chapman & Hall (No. 1337 (ff?))
-
Published by: Longman (Nos. 216-224, 321-328, 1294-1326)
-
Published by: Routledge (Nos. 53 ff.)
-
After: Frederick Barnard (Nos. 237-245(m), 246(s), 247-248(m))
-
After: Edward Charles Barnes (No. 37(m))
-
After: Alfred Walter Bayes (Nos. 15(m), 21(m?), 278(m?), 1337?(m?) (queried monograms closely resemble Bayes's usual signature, but the 'A' is replaced with an 'R'; possibly an error in engraving, or perhaps a different artist))
-
After: Walter Browne (No. 234 (s))
-
After: William S Brunton (Nos. 42(m), 129(m), 132(m), 133(m), 235(s), 255-256(m), 257 (unsigned print attributed on grounds of style and continuity))
-
After: Florence Anne Claxton (No. 777?(m?))
-
After: Alfred W Cooper (Nos. 86?, 87-91, 781-786(m), 799(m), 801(m), 803(m), 805(m), 817(m), 851(m), 1230(m), 1232(m), 1236(m) (unsigned print tentatively attributed on grounds of style and continuity))
-
After: W Eden (Nos. 325-327 (based on 1869 advertisements for the published book, these could be after Eden or Alfred W. Hunt))
-
After: Francis Arthur Fraser (Nos. 92-93(m), 206(m), 210-214(m),)
-
After: Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (Nos. 99-102(s), 103?, 104-105(s), 179-182(s), 183, 184(s), 192-198(s), 199, 200-201(s) (signed 'Bab'; unsigned prints attributed on grounds of style and continuity, with query where indicated))
-
After: Ernest Griset (Nos. 1294-1297(s), 1298, 1299-1305(s), 1306, 1307-1322(m), 1323, 1324(m), 1325, 1326(m))
-
After: Sydney Prior Hall (Nos. 1338-1340(s), 1341-1342(m), 1343(s), 1344, 1345(m), 1346(s) (unsigned print attributed by Robin de Beaumont))
-
After: Alfred William Hunt (Nos. 325-327 (based on 1869 advertisements for the published book, these could be after Hunt or W. Eden))
-
After: W Jones (Nos. 1401(m), 1402(m), 1404-1408(m))
-
After: Francis Wilfred Lawson (Nos. 98(m), 106-109(m), 111-112(m), 114-119(m), 126-128(m))
-
After: Jessie MacGregor (Nos. 321-324(m), 328(m))
-
After: J Mahoney (Nos. 856(m), 1233(m), 1239(m), 1241(m))
-
After: Frederick Richard Pickersgill (Nos. 216-224)
-
After: Warwick Reynolds (No. 254(s))
-
After: H Sanderson (Nos. 230(m), 233(m))
-
After: E Smith (No. 28(s), 1421(s), 1424(s))
-
After: Matt Stretch (Nos. 258(m), 259(s) (Stretch may be the pen-name of H Stacy Marks))
-
After: Alfred Thompson (No. 136(s))
-
After: John Gordon Thomson (Nos. 134(m), 264(m))
-
After: Francis S Walker (Nos. 1237(m), 1242(m))
-
After: John Dawson Watson (Nos. 113(m), 131(m))
-
After: W J Wiegand (Nos. 260, 261-263(m) (unsigned print attributed on grounds of style and continuity))
-
After: Johann Baptist Zwecker (Nos. 281(m), 284-288(m), 294-295(m), 297(m), 303(m), 308(m), 311-312(m), 314-315(m),)
- Production date
- 1869
- Dimensions
-
Height: 450 millimetres (size of bound album)
-
Thickness: 49 millimetres (size of bound album)
-
Width: 302 millimetres (size of bound album)
- Curator's comments
- Catalogued by Bethan Stevens (University of Sussex) in partnership with the British Museum and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC); digital photography by Sylph Editions, London (www.sylpheditions.com).
This is one in a series of 49 albums in the British Museum with proof impressions of wood-engravings by the Brothers Dalziel.
An overview of the album has been offered here, but it would be possible to identify more publications and artists on inspection and with further research.
In many cases, designers have been listed for the wood-engravings. Sometimes this has been done on the basis of annotations to the albums, which have been sporadically annotated by various hands. In the case of this album, this has mostly been by people from the Dalziel office, but there are also later annotations done within the British Museum (particularly by Robin de Beaumont). When handwritten annotations have contributed to an attribution, this has been indicated after the producer's name. Where no attribution comments are given, evidence is clear and has been verified (e.g. through publication details, etc.). Further, some indication has also been given throughout when a designer's work is signed with signature or monogram. After the producer's name and the print number or range, the letter 's' in parentheses indicates a signature, the letter 'm' a monogram, and neither letter indicates a print that is unsigned by the draughtsman or draughtswoman. In addition, most of the proofs have the Dalziels' signature, although some don't, particularly the diagrams, decoration, lettering and simpler commercial images. The presence/absence of the Dalziel signature has not been catalogued, since it is known that all these prints are by them.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1913
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1913,0415.186
