Sir Francis Crossley, Halifax Carpet Manufacturer, Steel Engraving, circa 1870
€ 145
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1870
Mapmaker / artist
Unsigned steel engraving
Publisher
William Mackenzie, Glasgow, Edinburgh and London
Technique
Steel engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Sheet size
27 × 18 cm (10.6 × 7.1 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14343-18
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
Good condition for its age. A small spot to the upper right margin; faint pencil numbering in the lower margin. Please review the images for further condition details.
About this sheet
An original steel engraved portrait of Sir Francis Crossley, lettered beneath the image "Sir Francis Crossley, Bart." and published by William Mackenzie, whose imprint reads "William Mackenzie, Glasgow, Edinburgh & London." No painter or engraver is named on the plate.
Crossley is shown three quarter length, standing and turned slightly to the left, with a full flowing beard and side whiskers. He wears a loose frock coat with a velvet collar over a buttoned waistcoat with a watch chain, and his right hand rests on the back of a chair holding a pair of gloves. The figure is set against a dark engraved ground, and the even, closely observed treatment of the cloth and the face suggests a likeness taken from a photograph.
Sir Francis Crossley (1817 to 1872) was a partner in John Crossley and Sons of Dean Clough Mills in Halifax, which grew under him and his brothers into one of the largest carpet manufacturers in the world. He was a notable benefactor of his town, giving Halifax the People's Park, laid out by Joseph Paxton and opened in 1857, together with almshouses and an orphanage. He sat in Parliament for Halifax and later for the West Riding, and was created a baronet in 1863, the title used on this plate.
William Mackenzie of Glasgow was one of the busiest Victorian subscription publishers, issuing illustrated biographical dictionaries, histories and family books in parts, many of them with full page engraved portraits printed on separate leaves like this one. The baronetcy of 1863 and the imprint together place this printing about 1865 to 1875.
The portrait is printed in black on a sheet with wide margins. It is a strong image for a collector of Yorkshire history, of the textile industry or of Victorian philanthropy, and frames well in a narrow dark frame with a deep 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.
