Dover Castle, Kent, Antique Steel Engraving after D. McKewan, circa 1876

Dover Castle appears far off on its ridge in this pastoral steel engraving, its great square keep and towers catching the light above wooded slopes. The foreground belongs to the countryside: a quiet stream curves in from the right, cattle stand in the shallows and graze on the meadow beyond, and a flat-bottomed boat is moored beside a wooden landing step. On the left a countryman leans on a gate beside a path, and a fallen branch and tall reeds lie across the bank. Large trees frame the view on either side, and a soft, cloud-streaked sky fills the upper half.

The plate is lettered "Dover Castle." Built on the chalk heights above the port of Dover in Kent, the castle has guarded the shortest sea crossing to France since the Middle Ages. Here the artist chose a gentle inland view rather than the familiar cliffs. The drawing is credited to D. McKewan and the engraving to A. Willmore, and the imprint is that of Cassell, Petter & Galpin of London. This plate was published in Picturesque Europe, the firm's illustrated survey whose first volume, on the British Isles, appeared in 1876.

The print is a steel engraving in black ink on wove paper, uncolored. Willmore's foliage is especially fine, built from countless small flicks of the burin, while the distant castle is held in pale, delicate tones that suggest summer haze.

A calm English landscape like this works beautifully in a living room or bedroom, framed simply in natural oak or gilt with a soft white mat.

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