19th Century English Zoological Print

Framed print of English Harbor views, early 19th century, "View of Greenwich in Kent and View of Deptford in Kent." Custom frame and mat.

This rather large original antique engraving on strong paper depicts two images: one of a weasel in its natural habitat and another of its skeletal structure. The German title "Das...

Pair of 19th century prints.

The Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland. 19th Century original nature printed British and Irish Ferns by Henry Bradbury, text by Thomas Moore (1821-87), ...

A mid 19th century English full length portrait tinsel print hand colored and hand embellished, framed and retailed by Saxon and Clemens of New York City circa mid 20th century. This print depicts, "Mr. Freer as Alonzo the Patriot". This is one of three tinsel prints that I have available on my HKFA storefront here on 1stdibs. From the Robertson Davies Collection website, I would like to share with you this fascinating history of tinsel prints, "As the popularity of these prints became wide spread, bags of prepared tinsel decorations were sold along with the prints making them customizable by the purchaser. Thus after the tinseling process, no two prints would be identical. Tinsel prints emerged from the tradition of toy theatres. Once an appropriate model theatre was purchased, the public could buy prints depicting actors, actresses and scenery from plays that were being performed at the time and recreate those plays in their home. As the "juvenile drama" became popular, play books were published along side prints so the words of the plays could be recreated as well. While the genre flourished the desire to purchase a larger print of a specific actor or actress remained. Thus two types of theatrical prints became to be printed: those for juvenile dramas that were small and excluded specific actors names, and actors portraits that were larger and more individualized. In the larger theatrical portraits, characters were "always displayed full length" and "striking [a] habitual and dramatic pose". The 1830's marked the emergence of tinseling prints as a past time. Before this time, if an individual wished to embellish a portrait, individual sheets of metal foil would have to be purchased, measured and cut to fit an individual print. Once tinseling became common, different packages of precut tinsel (specific to the print)would be sold with each print as aforementioned. The term tinsel specifically refers to the metal sheets used to represent armor and weapons, but more broadly includes pieces of satin, silk, velvet, leather, and feathers among other embellishments. Although tinsel prints are now viewed as works of art, in the nineteenth century they were no more than a child's pastime. Most sources cite tinseling, as well as toy theatre, as being most popular among boys from the working class. Their popularity among boys could explain why male portraits were produced more frequently than female, however, it is more likely that male costumes, with their multiple pieces of armor and arms...

A mid 19th century English full length portrait tinsel print hand colored and hand embellished, framed and retailed by Saxon and Clemens of New York City circa mid 20th century. This print depicts, "Mr. Freer as Marmion". This is one of three tinsel prints that I have available on my HKFA storefront here on 1stdibs. From the Robertson Davies Collection website, I would like to share with you this fascinating history of tinsel prints, "As the popularity of these prints became wide spread, bags of prepared tinsel decorations were sold along with the prints making them customizable by the purchaser. Thus after the tinseling process, no two prints would be identical. Tinsel prints emerged from the tradition of toy theatres. Once an appropriate model theatre was purchased, the public could buy prints depicting actors, actresses and scenery from plays that were being performed at the time and recreate those plays in their home. As the "juvenile drama" became popular, play books were published along side prints so the words of the plays could be recreated as well. While the genre flourished the desire to purchase a larger print of a specific actor or actress remained. Thus two types of theatrical prints became to be printed: those for juvenile dramas that were small and excluded specific actors names, and actors portraits that were larger and more individualized. In the larger theatrical portraits, characters were "always displayed full length" and "striking [a] habitual and dramatic pose". The 1830's marked the emergence of tinseling prints as a past time. Before this time, if an individual wished to embellish a portrait, individual sheets of metal foil would have to be purchased, measured and cut to fit an individual print. Once tinseling became common, different packages of precut tinsel (specific to the print)would be sold with each print as aforementioned. The term tinsel specifically refers to the metal sheets used to represent armor and weapons, but more broadly includes pieces of satin, silk, velvet, leather, and feathers among other embellishments. Although tinsel prints are now viewed as works of art, in the nineteenth century they were no more than a child's pastime. Most sources cite tinseling, as well as toy theatre, as being most popular among boys from the working class. Their popularity among boys could explain why male portraits were produced more frequently than female, however, it is more likely that male costumes, with their multiple pieces of armor and arms...