Chronological Pictures Of English History. Designed & Drawn By John Gilbert.
RA Collection: Book
Record number
06/5969
Imprint
Published By Thomas Varty, 31, Strand,, London.: [ca. 1847?]
Physical Description
[38] pl.; 510 mm.
Responsibility Note
A few plates carry signatures: plates [12] and [14] (II and IV Plantagenet) are signed as lithographed by by C. Graf; plates [25] - [27], [29] - [31] (II-IV Tudor, I-II Stuart, Commonwealth) are signed as lithographed by Day & Haghe.
Summary Note
No title plate or title page accompanies the plates; but pl. 8-31 all carry the title, 'Chronological Pictures Of English History. Designed & Drawn By John Gilbert.' and an imprint. In most cases the imprint reads 'Published By Thomas Varty, 31, Strand, London', but in some cases it reads 'Published By Roake & Varty, 31, Strand, London.' No publication-date is given; but the publishers Roake and Varty are known to have been in business from 1831 to 1847 and Varty from 1831 to 1856; and the firm of Day and Haghe were in operation from 1825 to 1852.
Each plate carries several images, showing events in British history from the Roman period to the period immediately after the battle of Waterloo. Most carry subtitles at their head: [1-7] untitled; [8-10] II-IV Norman; [11-18] I-VIII Plantagenet; [19-21] I-III Lancaster; [22] I York; [23] II & III York; [24-28] I-V Tudor; [29, 30] I-II Stuart; [31] Commonwealth; [32-38] untitled. The untitled plates are lithographed in black and white only; the rest, on a bistre ground. Many of the latter are inscribed as 'Proof' (pl. [18-30, 32]).
Many of Gilbert's drawings of historical and other subjects are preserved in the Royal Academy's collection.
Copy Note
The verso of plate 'VI Plantagenet' carries an unsigned pencil drawing of a (crowned?) figure in armor. Some other plates also carry unsigned annotations in pencil.
The rear pastedown carries the binder's ticket of 'Leightons 40 Brewer St W'.
Binding Note
19th-century quarter brown morocco, red cloth-covered boards, upper cover lettered 'Chronological Pictures Of English History - John Gilbert'.