"Winter." from Thomson's The Seasons (one of a set of four)

1794

Maker

Laurie & Whittle (fl. 1794-1858)

Measurements

Frame: 16-1/4 in x 12-1/4 in x 1 in; sight, 14-1/8 in x 10 in

Materials

Mezzotint and gouache on paper

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation, gift of H. Rodney Sharp

Accession Number

1959.4051

Inscription

"Winter." is in the center of the banner below the image.  "On blithsome frolics bent, the youthful swains, / While ev’ry work of man is laid at rest, / Fond o’er the river crowd, & as they sweep" forms a text block on the left side, and "On sounding skates a thousand diff’rent ways, / In circling poise, swift as the winds along, / The then gay land is madden’d all to joy." forms the right-hand text block.  "209 / Vide Thomson’s Seasons." is in the lower right corner.  "Published 12th May 1794 by Laurie & Whittle, 53 Fleet Street, London." runs along the center bottom.

Condition Notes

The print has darkened and is stained.

Provenance

Ex coll. H. Rodney Sharp

Comments

The print is part of a series of the four seasons (accession nos. 1959.4049, 1959.4050, and 1959.4052).  The set of four prints was inspired by Scottish author James Thomson’s (1700-1748) book of blank verse poetry, The Seasons, first published in 1730.  It continued to be republished for the next 140 years, becoming one of the most popular books in the English language.  It inspired all sorts of representations of the seasons in all sorts of media and object types.

“Winter” shows a young man and woman, both well-dressed in coats and she holding a fur muff and he a riding crop in his right hand.  A young girl playing with a dog stands to the right of the young man.  Other people are in the distnace beyond a rail fence.  The banner below the image records verses from the poem.

The printing firm, Laurie and Whittle, was established by Robert Laurie (c. 1755-1836) and James Whittle (1757-1818). Laurie retired in 1812, leaving management of the firm to his son, Richard Holmes Laurie (1777-1858), who kept it going until his death.  The firm was known primarily for printed maps and charts.