1885 Original Antique Print-View of EDEN HALL Newark On Trent Nottingham

London: William MacKenzie, 1885. 1885 An original antique colour print titled: EDEN HALL PROVENANCE: This original colour print was taken from 'A SERIES OF PICTURESQUE VIEWS OF SEATS OF THE NOBLEMEN AND GENTLEMEN OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND' published by William Mackenzie, Ludgate Hill. 11" x 8" Alexander Francis Lydon (/'la?d?n/; 1836–1917) was a British watercolour artist, illustrator and engraver of natural history and landscapes. He worked for Benjamin Fawcett the printer, to whom he had been apprenticed from an early age. Colour printing was a major change from the much-admired monochrome work of Thomas Bewick (1753-1828). At first wood-engraving illustrations were coloured by hand, but later a system of colouring from multiple wood blocks was used. Hand-coloured wood engraving started with an accurate painting of the subject. This picture was then carved on a wooden block, standing proud in order to pick up the ink. The block was then placed in a printing press to give a black-and-white print, which was then hand-coloured. The wooden print blocks were carved with great attention detail. Pear and boxwood were sufficiently hard and fine-grained, making them durable and capable of showing fine detail. Most of the joint works of Fawcett and Lydon were published by Groombridge, of London. Fellow engraver W. D. Ridley wrote: "Benjamin Fawcett was undoubtedly a born genius in the best sense of the word; for in a remote country town in the early days of railway facilities, when it must have been difficult to buy high-grade colour inks, he brushed all difficulties aside, purchased his own boxwood shipped direct from Turkey, matured it, sawed it in slices, surfaced it accurately, drew the whole of his work, If there was a secret which produced the fine results it would have been... Benjamin Fawcett engraving every one of the three hundred and sixty plates for this work on wood with his own hand ... making the inks himself from the costliest powders and the most expensive varnishes procurable....and each specimen plate for the colourers painted by his wife. This, I believe, is an achievement without parallel in book production. The very best materials were used." Printed on heavy paper. Fine.. First Edition. Single Page. Fine. Illus. by Lyon, Andrew Francis and Fawcett, Benjamin. 8vo..