Corbould

1850 · 257631 — England 1850. Pen and ink watercolor and wash drawings mounted; one signed by Corbould 3 signed by Uwins. Double-matted and handsomely bound on hinges in full brown morocco. A few drawings show minor foxing but overall beautifully preserved. Pen and ink watercolor and wash drawings mounted; one signed by Corbould 3 signed by Uwins. The English illustrator HENRY CORBOULD 1787-1844 studied at the Royal Academy with among others Fuseli and he quickly developed a taste for neo-classical historical painting. He soon concentrated "his efforts . on perfecting a delicate rather feminine neo-classical style which suited the purposes of refined Regency book illustration. During the remainder of his career he was 'extensively employed by publishers to make drawings for engravings and the number of his designs which adorn many books amount to several hundreds' J. Britton The autobiography of . 2.172. This is also reflected in those works he continued to send to the Royal Academy exhibition which were predominantly compositions of a sentimental and literary genre commissioned to illustrate the novels of Walter Scott or the poetry of Byron and Crabbe. As was the case with J. F. Dove's edition of Fanny Burney's Cecilia or Memoirs of an Heiress 1825 many of Corbould's illustrations were turned into steel-engravings by his cousin Charles Heath; in other instances they were reproduced in fashionable media such as lithography and stipple engraving ." ODNB.<br/>The 20 small Corbould drawings in this album one of which is signed are typical of his book work: his portrait of William Shenstone possibly for Samuel Johnson's LIVES OF THE POETS; the design for the engraved title-page of "THE GRACES OR LITERARY SOUVENIR .London Printed for Hurst and Robinson 1824"; an illustration for Hugh Kelly's MEMOIRS OF A MAGDALEN "Sir Robt Harold coldly endeavouring to console Miss Mildmay Vol. 1 p. 48"; and numerous illustrations for various adventures and romances as yet to be identified.<br/>Corbould's contemporary THOMAS UWINS 1782-1857 also was able to enter the Royal Academy Schools where he exhibited miniature portraits and contributed illustrations to Rudolf Ackermann's Westminster Abbey 1812 Oxford University 1814 Cambridge University 1815 and Public Schools 1816. Eventually Uwins evolved to larger forms and while living for several years in Rome Venice and Naples began to paint in larger forms in oil. His illustration work includes Shakespeare Virgil Horace King Arthur and the Round Table Robinson Crusoe etc. The 14 exquisite drawings displayed here amply display his skill and mastery of the small watercolor illustration. unknown books