Album with Original Art and Hand Colored Lithography, musings and verse

England, 1850. An artist's scrap book filled with over fifty (50) pieces of original art work and hand colored lithography and other pieces. What makes this scrap book a unique find, is the consistent fine quality of the work within. Some of the hand-colored lithography is so expertly done that it becomes hard to tell whether or not it is a lithographic print. Pieces of note are: the portrait of a young girl with ringlets, and another portrait of a man in a turban. Some beautiful landscapes of farmland (rendered in pencil), an old stone bridge (watercolor), a boldly colored butterfly (color pencil) and bird (ink & color pencil), and 'A Pas de Deux' of crabs (ink). Additionally includes a pith watch paper with a thistle. A finely detailed tropical bird on a rose stem with nearby butterfly adorned with dried flora.

Along with artwork there are several original pieces of music and poetry. There are two pieces of music, a ballad and a round, along with their music score. The poems are both original pieces, and quotes from other notable poets of the day. Once such quote, written in beautiful calligraphy, is from the poem entitled "Woman" by Eaton Stannard Barrett.

"Would Woman govern tyrants? she concedes
In slight concerns, and hence in weight, leads.
Opposes first, to make surrender prized,
And while she gives advice, appears advised"


Gilt and blind stamp leather. The pages are gilt-edged. The majority of the book has tipped in art work that has been secured to the page by glue and/or thread. Furthermore the majority of the lithographic prints within have been hand colored, but not all. Most of the artwork is unsigned, however when it is, the initials are general the same three names, E.B., E.T., and A.C. Wigan. There is reference to the Armstrong famil as well. A letter is included with the note "To my sister Daisy Armstrong, from my mother Mrs. Armstrong". The bulk of the material in the album dates from the 1930s. Measures 9 1/4" x 7 1/4".

To view this album, please click on the following link:
https://goo.gl/photos/JkMjtRZRJJU1aF6A9. Covers show some wear, and the back strip and edges are slightly damaged due to rubbing. The binding is partially. A few interior pages are loose and/or detached. There is some glue residue on the interior pages as well, due to the original owner pasting in prints, but nothing that affects any of the artwork.