Information

This is an uncut woodblock for the illustration 'The Sailor's Bride' which was published in 'Once a Week' (13 April, 1861, vol. 4, p. 434) to illustrate a poem by Marian E. James. The reverse shows that it is made of two boxwood blocks which have been screwed together. The opposing grains of the two blocks can be seen showing through the drawing. Sandys drew his design using pencil, brush and ink over a thin layer of 'Chinese' white. Usually the design would then have been engraved by cutting away the areas not drawn on using a metal burin. Unusually, this block has been left uncut. This may well have been an extra block required due to difficulties with finding a suitable engraver. Sandys was not pleased with the initial proofs of the illustration engraved by W. H. Hooper and demanded that his design be re-engraved by Joseph Swain. The Birmingham collection holds two proofs of the engraving by Hooper and two of the final wood-engravings by Swain. These show the two engraver's different approaches to translating Sandys's design in wood: Hooper keeps the thin, subtle lines drawn by Sandys but Swain is bolder, including thicker lines and creating more flat blocks of white.The name C Wells and the word 'INVENTOR' has been etched onto the side of the block. This refers to Charles Wells 'a joiner by trade, who was the inventor of the bolted block in 1850, a method of extending the size of the block, which also allowed it to be taken apart and shared between engravers' to speed up production (Betty Elzea, 'Frederick Sandys 1829-1904: A Catalogue Raisonné,' p. 201). Wells was a life-long friend of Swain, one of the leading nineteenth-century wood engravers whose firm employed a number of men including W. H. Hooper.

  • Purchased and presented by subscribers, 1906.
  • © Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery

Makers

Association Artist Organisation
Artist Frederick Sandys -

Inscriptions

Type Position(s) Method Date(s) Notes
AFS
Monogram top left Handwritten 1861 c in reverse.. Ink.
 
XIII N. B. - This Label to be affixed to the back of the [underlined]/ RA WINTER EXHIBITION, 19 [? cut] / Artist
Label - - - The label has been worn away and broken off. . Ink.
 
C WELLS / 24 BOUVERIE STREET / INVENTOR
Maker's name edge Etched -
 

Exhibitions

Catalogue No. Venue Date(s)
Winter Exhibition
301 Royal Academy 1905 - 1905
 
Death, Heaven and the Victorians
100 Brighton Museum and Art Gallery 1970 - 1970
 

Literature

Author(s) Date(s) Publisher Pages
City of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery: Catalogue of the Permanent Collection of Drawings
A E Whitley 1939 Bemrose & Sons Ltd., Derby p. 377
 
Frederick Sandys 1829-1904: A Catalogue Raisonné
Betty Elzea 2001 Antique Collectors' Club in association with Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service no. 2.B.3, pp. 200-01.

Provenance

W.H.Clabburn sold at his death by Spelman's Norwich, 25 September, 1889, lot 141. Withers and Withers, vendors at Christie's 20 November 1897, lot 48, bought by Barclay for Charles Fairfax Murray for £8.8.0.

Associated people

Name Type
Joseph Swain Associated with
Marian E James Verse by

Related work & resources

Discuss this work

Start a discussion about this work.

You need to login to discuss this work. Click here to login.

If you are not yet registered click here to become a member.
Find out more about membership