This is a good example of Creswick’s topographical designs, which structures the landscape in terms of the conventions of the Picturesque. Typically, it invites the viewer to engage with a panorama that extends from the very near (with trees and foliage represented in detail) to the very far (rendered in terms of the graphic equivalent of aerial perspective). Drawing on the Picturesque, Creswick transforms the Welsh landscape into a version of Italy; as usual, the drawing of the figures in the foreground is stilted and conventional. Featuring in Thomas Roscoe’s Wanderings and Excursions in South Wales, facing 166. Steel-plate engraving by E. Radclyffe. 3¾ x 5½ inches. [Click on image to enlarge it.]
Photograph and text by Simon Cooke. You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link to this URL in a web document or cite it in a print one.
Bibliography
Roscoe, Thomas. Wanderings and Excursions in South Wales. London: Tilt, 1837.
Created 6 April 2021