‘The Fall of the Walls of Jericho,’ by H. H. Armstead. 6¼ x 7½ inches. Plate 42. Proof wood engraving by the Dalziels; printed on India paper. Armstead depicts the Israelites marching around the city, as described in Joshua 6: 1–21. [Click on image to enlarge it.]
The artist conflates piety (with those to the right of the composition in poses of obeisance to the Ark), while those on the left (the priests blowing their horns and the soldiers shouting) are projecting their aggression by making sound; the walls of Jericho are shown collapsing in the background. Armstead arranges his figures into a frieze which recalls both classical art (the Parthenon stones being an obvious influence), and the dense groupings in Renaissance altarpieces. The subtle curvature of the montage affirms the notion of the Israelites’ circling of the city.
Scanned image 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
Dalziels’ Bible Gallery. London: Routledge, 1881 [1880].
Created 10 July 2026