Sketching Rambles in Holland

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1885. 8vo. [i], xvi, 342, [ii] pp. FIRST EDITION. With tissue frontispiece loose, 89 text and full-plate illustrations. Rebound using a portion of the original cloth cover preserved with gold historiated initial and title; new endpapers, minor water staining. Ownership inscription dated 1888 on flyleaf. Item #15139

First edition. An entertaining romp around the Netherlands captured through the eyes of well-known British artists. Boughton lightheartedly recounts how he and fellow artist Edwin Austin toured major cities and quaint small towns in the Netherlands. Extensively illustrated, the book depicts everything from the daily life of the working classes to traditional costumes, and even landscapes, with a particular emphasis on the appearance of Dutch women. Boughton’s personal and accessible prose transports the reader directly into the Englishmen’s train compartment laughing as Austin performs a little dance “to restore the circulation.”

Boughton (1833–1905) was a pastoral genre painter and illustrator. Although Boughton sold paintings during his life (many of which are currently held in museum collections), he may be more well known for his illustrations in Rip Van Winkle,The Scarlet Letter, Illustrated London News, and written contributions to Harper’s Magazine. Even Vincent Van Gogh was moved by his work. He “wrote at length to his brother Theo about a painting which he called Pilgrim’s Progress; he appears to be referring to a lost painting of Boughton’s” (ODNB).

Price: $100.00

See all items in Travel & Exploration
See all items by ,