Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, Antique Morris Woodblock Print, circa 1870

This antique print of Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, is a color woodblock country house view from Morris's Picturesque Views of Seats, printed by Benjamin Fawcett circa 1870. It shows the castle's long curtain wall, studded with round towers and a taller central keep, rising beyond the trees on the far bank of the river that runs through the park in front of it.

A three-arched stone bridge crosses the river, a carved lion standing on its parapet, and two seated figures rest on the riverbank at the right, small against the scale of the fortifications. The sky is worked in warm gold and pink cloud bands suggesting sunset, setting the pale stone of the castle in silhouette above the darker trees, while the bridge and its lion are kept in a clean, well-lit stone tone. The river is handled with a darker base tone broken by lighter strokes to suggest current and reflected light, and the repeated round towers are carried consistently across a wide stretch of the sheet.

The plate comes from A Series of Picturesque Views of Seats of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland, edited by the Reverend Francis Orpen Morris (1810 to 1893), the naturalist and clergyman best known for his History of British Birds, and published in London by William Mackenzie; this issue dates from circa 1870. Benjamin Fawcett (1808 to 1893) of Driffield, Yorkshire, one of the finest Victorian color woodblock printers, printed it from a series of separate blocks in register, so the color is printed, not hand colored.

An original Victorian plate removed from the book, this antique print of Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, is suitable for framing and will appeal to admirers of the house, of Northumberland, and of English country house views. The sheet retains full margins, with the title Alnwick Castle set in small capitals beneath the image.

This antique print is in good condition for its age. The paper shows light toning consistent with age, together with a few small spots and some light foxing in the margins, and a line of binding holes along the lower edge, where the plate was once bound into the book. Please review the images for further condition details.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.