On the Dart near Totnes, Antique Steel Engraving after E.M. Wimperis, circa 1876

About this sheet

A peaceful reach of the River Dart in Devon, near the town of Totnes. The river winds away between wooded banks toward a steep, tree-covered hill, and a pale disk glows low in the sky behind the slope, its light catching on the surface of the water.

In the foreground, a small herd of cattle has come down to drink, some standing knee deep in the shallows, others gathered on the grassy bank beneath tall, slender trees at right. Across the river, a figure poles a flat boat along the reedy shore at left. The whole scene is calm and unhurried, a picture of the English countryside at the end of the day. Light and shadow are carefully balanced, with the dark trees at right setting off the bright water at the center.

The plate credits the painting to Edmund Morison Wimperis and the engraving to T. Heawood, with the imprint of Cassell, Petter and Galpin of London. Wimperis was a Victorian watercolor painter of English landscape, and Heawood engraved a number of plates for the same publisher. Totnes, an old market town, stands at the head of the tidal Dart, where the river begins its winding tidal course down to the sea at Dartmouth.

This is a steel engraving, with the dense foliage and the reflections on the water built up from fine, close lines.

A gentle pastoral view for a bedroom, a sitting room or a country house, it would look well in a simple gilt or oak frame with a cream mat.

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.