Travel
Accounts of travel in Ireland and abroad were popular throughout the period c.1830–c.1930. Some, like George Petrie, produced works consisting primarily of engraved illustrations of Irish towns and scenery. Others, such as Samuel Carter Hall and Anna Maria Hall, published lengthy explorations of all aspects of Irish life and history alongside a large number of illustrations produced by a team of artists.
By the early 1900s innovative technologies and new approaches to illustration allowed and encouraged illustration in colour. Clarissa Goff’s account of Florence and Tuscany is complemented by Robert Goff’s fluid watercolours in a modern style that were reproduced in colour. F.J. Mathew’s descriptions of Ireland are paired with Francis S. Walker’s topographical views and characterful genre scenes. The bright colours and graphic force of the original, richly textured oil paintings could be accurately reproduced, and this added to the attractiveness of the volume.
George Newenham Wright A guide to the Lakes of Killarney, illustrated by engraving, after the designs of George Petrie, Esq.
London, 1822
KK.r.13.no.2
G N Wright gained fame for his travel writings. He collaborated with George Petrie, who provided drawings for three publications on Ireland. A guide to the Lakes of Killarney provides a written description and detailed illustrations of key topographical features and cultural sites in the region.
Clarissa Goff Florence & some Tuscan cities
Illustrated by Robert C. Goff
London, 1905
62.q.22
Robert Goff retired from the army in 1878 to devote himself to etching and painting, especially in watercolour, being self-taught in both media. With his wife, Clarissa Hochepied Larpent, he lived for many years in Tuscany and therefore knew well the locations they described and painted. Goff’s abilities in watercolour were widely admired. His fluid, modern style, with its evocative colour and often rich but moody tonality, was well adapted to successful colour reproduction.
The Studio: an illustrated magazine of fine and applied art
Vol. 73, 1918
Illustrations by Myra K. Hughes
Per 76-291
The Studio was among the most widely-read international art periodicals, from the time of its foundation in London in the early 1890s. Part of its success can be attributed to the fact that it was one of the first art magazines to employ photo-mechanical printing technologies, ensuring its readers enjoyed high quality reproductions, often in colour. In 1917, Wexford-born artist Myra K. Hughes journeyed to Palestine, and contributed a written and visual account of her travels to the Studio. Hughes’s practice was to work directly from nature in a selective manner, interpreting rather than transcribing the scenes before her.