Mulgrave Castle, Yorkshire, Antique Morris Woodblock Print, circa 1870

About this sheet

Autumn color frames this antique print of Mulgrave Castle, Yorkshire, a color woodblock country house view from Morris's Picturesque Views of Seats, printed circa 1870 by Benjamin Fawcett in his home county. The castellated front is built in warm golden stone, its corner towers battlemented and much of the ground floor wall grown over with ivy.

Trees on both sides are worked in ochre, orange and brown rather than summer green, and a path curves across the sloping lawn toward the house. The golden stone sits comfortably within the surrounding foliage rather than contrasting sharply against green, giving the sheet a warmer overall palette than a summer scene. The ivy on the lower walls is kept a cooler, darker green than the trees, a deliberate distinction that lets the plant growth on the building read separately from the seasonal color of the park, with stone, ivy and foliage all worked to sit together rather than clash.

The plate comes from A Series of Picturesque Views of Seats of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland, edited by the Reverend Francis Orpen Morris (1810 to 1893), the naturalist and clergyman best known for his History of British Birds, and published in London by William Mackenzie; this issue dates from circa 1870. Benjamin Fawcett (1808 to 1893) of Driffield, Yorkshire, one of the finest Victorian color woodblock printers, printed it from a series of separate blocks in register, so the color is printed, not hand colored.

An original Victorian plate removed from the book, this antique print of Mulgrave Castle, Yorkshire, is suitable for framing and will appeal to admirers of the house, of Yorkshire, and of English country house views. The sheet has its original margins, with the title Mulgrave Castle lettered in small capitals below the image.

This antique print is in good condition for its age. The paper shows light toning consistent with age, together with a few small spots, slight wear to the lower left corner, a small nick in the right edge and a line of binding holes along the lower edge, where the plate was once bound into the book. Please review the images for further condition details.

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.