Vauxhall Gardens on a Gala Night, London, 1804

€ 280

Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)

Date: 1804
Mapmaker / artist: After Edward Pugh; engraved by Rhodes
Publisher: Richard Phillips, London
Technique: Copper Engraving
Coloring: Uncolored
Condition: Good
Reference: BG-12935-23

What the condition grades mean

Excellent: Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good: Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good: Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair: Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.

Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.

Condition

Age toning; handling soiling along the edges and foxing with some brown staining in the margins. Printed image clean.

About this sheet

This is an original antique copper engraving, uncolored, lettered "Vauxhall, on a Gala Night." The view shows the pleasure gardens lit for a gala evening. At the center stands the Gothic orchestra building, its domed roof, pinnacles and balconies outlined with hundreds of small lamps, with musicians and singers in the gallery. A large crowd gathers in front of it, the trees around are strung with lights, a tall lamp post stands at the left, and couples in evening dress stroll in the foreground beside the colonnades of supper boxes.

The two lines of the title are engraved in script below the image. The artist's credit "Pugh del." is at lower left and the engraver's credit "Rhodes sc." at lower right. The imprint above the image reads "Published June 11-1804, by Richard Phillips, 71, St Paul's Church Yard."

The plate comes from Modern London; Being the History and Present State of the British Metropolis, printed for Richard Phillips, No. 71, St. Paul's Church-Yard, by C. Mercier and Co., Northumberland-court, Strand, in 1804, and "illustrated with numerous copper plates." Many of its topographical views were drawn by Edward Pugh, a Welsh painter working in London, and engraved on copper by several London engravers, each of whom signed his own plate. Vauxhall Gardens, on the south bank of the Thames, was the most celebrated of London's pleasure gardens, known for music, illuminations and supper boxes.

The glittering lamps and festive crowd make it a cheerful image for a dining room or entertaining space.

Condition: Age toning; handling soiling along the edges and foxing with some brown staining in the margins. Printed image clean.

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.