Llyn Idwal
12 1/2 by 9 1/2 inches
PE196 $75
These beautiful hand colored steel engravings are from the 1872 edition of PICTURESQUE AMERICA or The Land We Live In, A Delineation by Pen and Pencil of the Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, Forests, Water-Falls, Shores, Canyons, Valleys, Cities, and Other Picturesque Features of Our Country. It contains many beautiful woodcuts & steel engravings by famous American artists of the period such as Thomas Moran, Harry Fenn , F.O.C. Darley, A. F. Bellows, J.M. Hart, C. Griswold, & W. Shepard. Also listed are prints from the companion work Picturesque Europe.
The work was issued after the Civil War had devastated the fabric of American life & people looked to simpler times & the beauty of the country for solace. Sold originally by subscription, in blue wrappers, these romantic views became wildly successful. Today, it is a poignant & bittersweet experience to look through the series, with its depictions & descriptions of the bucolic life and superb scenery that has disappeared or changed dramatically in the 133 years since publication. Much of the history of the country was addressed & it presents a fascinating glimpse of American life and the forces at work in this vast & fabulous land, truly the land of opportunity.
Each print is a professionally hand colored steel engraving. The condition of the plates is excellent, with the paper being a fine, heavy, wove type.
