Cologne on the Rhine, German Cathedral City, Antique Steel Engraving, circa 1865

About this sheet

This antique steel engraving of Cologne shows the city seen across the Rhine, with its long waterfront, the tall tower of Great Saint Martin and the unfinished Gothic cathedral rising behind the houses. The plate is lettered "Cologne" and was published by William Mackenzie of London, Edinburgh and Glasgow in the middle decades of the nineteenth century.

The view is taken from the low east bank of the river. In the foreground a broken boat lies on the shore beside a fishing boat, while a crowded ferry is poled across the current and sailing barges lie moored at the right. Beyond the water the old city stretches along the quays, and the cathedral appears as it stood before its completion in 1880, with the choir roofed and the western towers still far from finished. This detail gives the Cologne engraving real documentary interest, since it records one of the most famous building sites in Europe during the long campaign to complete the medieval design.

The plate carries the imprint of William Mackenzie, London, Edinburgh and Glasgow, a Scottish publisher known for illustrated subscription books issued in parts from the middle of the nineteenth century. The plate itself carries no date, and the book in which it appeared has not been identified with certainty, so it is dated here to circa 1865, in line with Mackenzie's steel engraved topographical plates of the 1860s and 1870s. The drawing credit at lower left appears to read B. Foster; the reading is not certain, and the plate is therefore not attributed to a named artist as a matter of fact. The engraver's name at lower right appears to read E. I. Roberts, probably Edward John Roberts, a London steel engraver who worked on many topographical books, although this reading is also uncertain.

The print is a fine steel engraving, uncoloured, with a delicately worked sky and careful handling of the reflections on the water. Steel plates allowed large editions with sharp detail, and this impression shows the silvery tonal range typical of the technique. As a view of Cologne and the Rhine it will appeal to collectors of German topography and of Victorian travel illustration, and it would sit well in a study or hallway, perhaps grouped with other Rhine views from the same series in simple dark frames.

The sheet is in good condition for its age, with toning and light handling soiling at the edges of the margins; the steel engraved view itself is clean and crisp.

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.