Loudan R (2 results)

Full-page engraving 23.5 x 33.6 cm (including caption) on a single newspaper leaf, relevant text on the verso, edge tears (no loss) and creasing, in very good condition. Dramatic and scarce engraving depicting the destruction of the Canton Factories, principal site of Western trade with China, at the onset of the Second Opium War, (1856-1860) by a 25 year old Gustave Doré. He contributed to the "Illustrated Times", a chief rival to the monopoly of "The Illustrated London News". Whilst the self-taught Doré did not enjoy initial success in France, for Victorian Britons Doré's art was celebrated, producing (with Blanchard Jerrold) his landmark account of mid Victorian London "London: a pilgrimage" over four years (1869-1872). From the Estate of the late collector and scholar Arthur Hacker.…

Print. Condition: Very good condition. First printing. Panoramic woodblock engraving published in London, August 16th 1876, from the Illustrated London News, the prominent English newspaper of the time. A commanding view over all Manhattan from the heights of Hoboken (at an artistically exaggerated elevation.) The foreground includes the New Jersey river shore with much open space and a steam train. The Hudson, as usual, is full of boats, sloops, clippers, ferries, steam ships & barges. The Brooklyn Bridge support pillars are under construction and the reservoir is clearly visible in Central Park. Woodblock engraving was the medium for newspaper illustration until photography superseded it. The woodblocks were carved, and had the disadvantage of having a limited life before they were worn beyond use. This resulted in a limited number of copies of the illustrations. It was not technically feasible for the blocks to be larger than 3" without splitting in the press, so larger illustrations were printed by a series of contiguous woodblocks. Originally folded, this fine engraving has been flattened, restored and laid on archival canvas making it very durable and ready to frame. Black and white, as issued, image size 42 x 22 1/2" (107 cm x 57 cm) with margins, suitable for framing.…