“The Herdsman’s Cottage” by Samuel Palmer, RWS 1805-81

The Herdsman’s Cottage

Samuel Palmer, RWS 1805-81

1850

Etching, printed on chine appliqué

4⅞ x 4 inches (12.5 x 10.3 cm); backing sheet 13 x 11⅝ inches (33 x 29.5 cm)

An early proof in the second ('nal) state, before publication

See commentary below

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Commentary by Gordon Cooke

This proof probably dates from about 1850, as the use of chine appliqué would suggest that it was printed by Gad and Keningdale. At this time Palmer did not have his own press. The surface consists of a very thin sheet of oriental paper glued to a thicker sheet, allowing the fine lines to print clearly while also providing a strong support.

There was no edition of The Herdsman’s Cottage until November 1872, when it was published in The Portfolio, founded by P.G. Hamerton, with the erroneous title ‘Sunrise’. Hamerton clearly thought highly of the print, because he issued two further editions of it, in Examples of Modern Etching (1875) and Etching and Etchers (1880). It is thus the most common Palmer etching, and the published impressions are well printed. However the proof impressions, such as this example, are of special quality.

Reference

Cooke, Gordon. Samuel Palmer, His Friends, and Followers.Exhibition Catalogue. London: The Fine Art Society, 2012. No. 2.

Lister, Raymond. Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of Samuel Palmer. Cambridge, 1988. pp. 239, no.E2 vii/VIII.

Last modified 26 May 2014