1 James M'kenzie-Hall Illustrated Travel: Steel
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JAMES M’KENZIE-HALL ILLUSTRATED TRAVEL: STEEL ENGRAVINGS AND THEIR USE IN EARLY NINETEENTH-CENTURY TOPOGRAPHICAL BOOKS, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO HENRY FISHER & CO. VOLUME I: TEXT A Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Nottingham Trent University and Southampton Solent University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. March 2011 1 ABSTRACT The aim of this thesis is to investigate the introduction, production and sale of steel engravings in the illustrated picture books of the first half of the nineteenth century with particular reference to the publications of Henry Fisher, who began his career in Liverpool and continued it together with his son Robert in London. By looking at the processes from the initial artist's design through to its engraving and printing, and by establishing the interaction between the artist, author, publisher and engraver, this study will lead to a better understanding of both the economics and aesthetics of print production and determine the destination of these illustrated picture books by examining the relationship between the publisher and the public. Previous work on nineteenth-century topographical steel engraving has largely had a bibliographical rather than historiographical aim and has concentrated on the classification of images into regional units. Although useful these publications are not intended to be critical and do not lead to an understanding of the contextual background necessary to explain the enormous output and consumption of topographical steel-engraved books in the 1830s and 1840s. The two leading specialist topographical print-publishers were the London firms of Fisher, Son & Co. and George Virtue. The early career of Henry Fisher as a master printer of mainly religious publications issued in numbers is examined, and this study shows how his innovative marketing, selling and distribution methods led to these being adopted by others in the publishing trade. His transition from publisher of religious numbers in Liverpool to leading publisher of illustrated topographical works in London is investigated for the first time. As no records, account books or archives appear to have survived, this dissertation is based on the substantial number of illustrated travel books with steel-engraved plates that both firms produced between 1829 and 1844 as well as correspondence from Robert Fisher to the Irish artist George Petrie, in which Fisher explains some of 'the peculiarities of our business'. The two most prolific designers of illustrations for topographical picture books in this period were Thomas Allom (1804-1872) who worked for Fisher, and William Henry Bartlett (1809- 1854) who worked for Virtue. Their contribution to the field of topographical book illustration has largely passed unnoticed by art historians who question whether mass produced images can be valued as art. Allom and Bartlett are usually classified as jobbing topographical artists or, at best, as architectural draughtsmen. A secondary aim of this dissertation is to offer a counterbalance to this view and show that their art was more genuinely creative than merely reproductive and moreover that their motives for doing this work were far from being similar. 2 Declaration I confirm that this is my own work and the use of all material from other sources has been properly acknowledged. Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor Professor Edward Chaney, whose cheerful support, guidance and encouragement made the whole process enjoyable as well as Dr Tim Wilks, my second supervisor and the staff at Southampton Solent University Library, particularly Mary Hudson, Chris Manning, Information Librarian (Arts and Design) who patiently answered my frequent queries and sourced hard to find articles, Ann-Marie Foxcroft, Postgraduate Research Administrator, Faculty of Media, Arts and Society and her successor Aline Giordano, who provided me with the necessary and essential administrative backup. My thanks are due to the individuals and staff of the following Museums, Libraries and Institutions: Robin Myers, Honorary Archivist at Stationer's Hall, for her advice and interest and for allowing me access to the Library at short notice. Diana Brooks, the great-great- grand-daughter of Thomas Allom who over recent years has offered me not only her hospitality but invaluable advice. Ralph Hyde for kindly sending me copies of his work on the Stationers Almanachs as well as discussing steel engravings and architectural panoramas with me. Tom Lamb, a University friend from Durham days, who when at Christie's King Street, helped me find the original Allom sale catalogues and acquire an Allom drawing. Merlyn Holloway who, many years ago, at Bernard Quaritch fostered my interest in steel engravings. Nigel Roche, Librarian of the St Bride Printing Library together with his assistants Clare Amos and Elizabeth Klaiber welcomed me after finding myself caught up in the security alert during a visit by Her Majesty the Queen. Jeremy Smith and John Fisher at the Guildhall Library for their help in tracking down material and for introducing me to Ralph Hyde. Richard Knight, the local studies and archives manager and his staff at the Holborn Library for allowing me access to the William Beattie Collection. Dr Peter Leeming at the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit for kindly sending me his report concerning an excavation in Liverpool on the site of Nuttall, Fisher and Dixon's Caxton printing works. Dr Rob Banham at the Department of Typography and Graphic Communication at Reading University for discussing technical issues and Verity Andrews, archive assistant to Mike Bott at the University of Reading Library for making available the ledger accounts in the Longman collection. Charles Nugent, Curator of Drawings and Watercolours, Whitworth Art Gallery, 3 Manchester for discussing some Allom drawings and for sending me some photographs of Allom subjects. Victoria Osborne, Curator Fine Art at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery for securing a copy of Turner and the Engravers catalogue. Colette O'Daly, Assistant Keeper at the National Library of Ireland, who very efficiently obtained copies of Robert Fisher's Letters to George Petrie. Barry Smith, Chairman of the Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery and Joe Hughes for taking the time to guide me round the cemetery and find many of the tombs of the people mentioned in this study. W. John Young who gave me an insight to Methodism in the nineteenth century and my cousin Annabella Schiffer for tracking down an early map of Bristol. My thanks to Brian Hanscomb, RE, copper-engraver and Hilary Paynter, wood-engraver and President of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers and Christopher Bacon who patiently explained the technical details of their art. I am grateful to the staff of the various institutions, libraries and print rooms and particularly to Oldham M.B.C. Archives, Edinburgh University Library for Letters in the Laing Collection, Manchester Public Libraries, the Bodleian Library, Oxford, the London Library, the British Library, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Minet Library, Lambeth. In France: I am grateful to the late Mademoiselle Mireille Mentré, my supervisor during my postgraduate studies at the University of Paris-Sorbonne IV, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France site François-Mitterand, particularly the staff in salle Y - the rare books section, as well as Madame Valerie Sueur of the département des Estampes at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France site Richelieu. The staff at the Bibliothèque des Arts Décoratifs and at the Bibliothèque Forney in the Hotel de Sens. Joelle Serve, director of Atelier 63, 54 rue Daguerre, 75014 Paris, a former pupil of S.W. Hayter, who trains artists in different techniques of engraving on copper or zinc such as etching, aquatint, soft ground, engraving, dry point and mezzotint and who introduced 'a mere art historian' to the realities of a busy printing studio. Finally some of the works of art and illustrated books and particularly part-works are only to be found in the galleries and antiquarian book shops and I would like to thank for their help: Philip Athill and Tom Edwards at Abbott & Holder who generously allowed me access to their collection of Allom drawings, William Drummond, Maurice Dear, Agnews, Martyn Gregory, Christie's South Kensington, Barry McKay Books, Bernard Shapero Rare Books, Marlborough Rare Books and Ros King of Heaton's for assistance finding the illustrations. 4 CONTENTS Introduction: 11 I. CONTEXT II. SCOPE AND CONTENT III. METHODOLOGY IV. SECONDARY LITERATURE REVIEW Abbreviations 39 Illustrations 40 Book and Plate size 41 Chapter One: 42 TOPOGRAPHICAL BOOK ILLUSTRATION BEFORE 1829 1.1 England under threat 1.2 The print-publishers John Boydell and Rudolph Ackermann 1.3 The fascination for the Lake District and the domestic Grand Tour 1.4 Aquatints 1.5 John Britton and popular topography 1.6 Foreign Views 1.7 The Waterloo effect 1.8 Turner and Italy 1.9 Beyond the Grand Tour 1.10 New vocabularies Chapter Two: 69 STEEL ENGRAVING AND SERIAL PUBLICATION 2.1 Advantages of steel over copper 2.2 Steel-facing 2.3 Intaglio or Relief? Metal or Wood? 2.4 Line engraving 2.5 The metal plate 2.6 The tools of the trade 2.7 Etching and Engraving. A mixed method 5 2.8 Pure etching - the acid method 2.9 Inking the plate 2.10 Printing the Plate on a rolling press 2.11 Plate-marks 2.12 Stereotyping 2.13 Part-works 2.14 Lithographic Printers 2.15 Annuals and Keepsakes 2.16 Drawing-Room, Library or Boudoir: Silver Fork Publications and the Blessington Set 2.17 Fisher's Illustrated Serial Publications 2.18 George Virtue's Illustrated Serial Publications Chapter Three: 109 A COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISE: FISHER SON & CO. AND THE ECONOMICS OF PRINT PRODUCTION 3.1 Number Publishing and the origins of H. Fisher, Son & Co. 3.2 George Virtue and Thomas Kelly 3.3 Fisher's early London career and his first illustrated books with steel engravings 3.4 Henry Fisher and Liverpool 3.5 Thomas Tegg 3.6 Henry Fisher's early years 3.7 'Faith and Works'.