Charles Mackay, Scottish Poet and Journalist, Antique Engraved Portrait

About this sheet

An original antique engraved portrait of Charles Mackay, Scottish poet and journalist.

Charles Mackay (1814 to 1889) was a Scottish poet, songwriter and journalist, remembered above all for Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, first published in 1841 and still in print. He edited the Glasgow Argus and later the Illustrated London News, and his songs were widely sung in their day.

Engraving was the principal medium of the printed portrait for three centuries. The image is cut into a metal plate, inked and printed under heavy pressure, and the engraver builds up the form of a face through the spacing and swelling of the lines, which is why a well engraved portrait rewards close looking.

This sheet comes from a gathering of portraits from across Europe and across two and a half centuries, in engraving, etching and lithography. Portrait prints have been collected in their own right since the eighteenth century, when James Granger's Biographical History of England of 1769 set off a fashion for illustrating books with portraits of the people named in them, and they are still collected today for the sitter, for the maker and for the face itself.

A single portrait frames well in a narrow moulding with a generous mat, and a group of them hung together, whether by period, by profession or simply by the strength of the faces, makes one of the most satisfying walls there is for a study, a library, a landing or a dining room.

The sheet is in good condition for its age, with even toning, light soiling and soft creases confined to the margins; the image itself is clean and clear.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.