Outlines & Sketches by Washington Allston (FIRST EDITION)

Washington Allston

Published by Stephen H. Perkins, 1850

About this Item

FIRST EDITION, 1850. Hardcover. Bound in brown publisher's cloth with a darker brown cloth bordering the cover and spine. Gilt lettering on the front cover. Ex library, title is written in white on the spine. Eighteen plates contain 20 engravings of Allston's sketches, each protected by a respective flyleaf. "I. [i.e.J.] and L. [i.e. S.] W. Cheney engraved directly on plates daguerreotyped by Southworth and Hawes [.] of Boston. Josiah Hawes [.] used a special rectilinear lens of his own design to photograph the art which the Chaneys [Cheneys] engraved over. These plates must have been some of the largest ever done for publication, being well over double-whole plate." (Hanson Collection catalog, p. 12-13.) Unpaginated. FROM THE INTRODUCTORY PAGES: "The Outlines and Sketches contained in this Volume, are a part of those found in Mr. Allston's Studio, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, after his death, in July, 1843. They consist in great part of compositions, hastily sketched in chalk, and never carried further; among them, however, are a few Outlines in umber, on canvass, which although more carefully done, should not be considered as finished Outlines, since they were of the figures, in the different compositions, vary form that of life, to a few inches in length; and where it was necessary to reduce them for engraving, the daguerreotype was used, by which the image was conveyed to the engraver's plates, prepared for that purpose, and there fixed by tracing the line through the silver." CONDITION: Ex-library with consistent library spore from Louisville Free Public Library. VG as cover shows wear and soiling. Foxed throughout, yet engravings are still quite spectacular. Several plates contain a one inch open tear at the foredge, yet has not compromised the integrity of the engravings. Large dampstain within the last several leaves at the corner. A beautiful portfolio that holds some sense of mystery and intrigue within its images. At 5 lbs., due to it's very large size and weight, an additional shipping charge will likely apply. Full refund if not satisfied. Seller Inventory # 069112

Bibliographic Details

Title: Outlines & Sketches by Washington Allston (...

Publisher: Stephen H. Perkins

Publication Date: 1850

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Edition: First Edition.