These ones all come from the book I publish a cheap reprint
of, you can buy it at http://michaelsbookshop.com/catalogue/1817_picturesque_views_of_ramsgate.htm
The author Henry Moses was an illustrator to The British
Museum, so why did he come to Ramsgate and why would it have been worth doing
all the work to produce a book of views of the town?
The answer goes something like this, the Napoleonic wars had
just finished and in Ramsgate there were all those nice houses that had been
available for young gentlemen to rent with space for their servants and
stabling for their horses while at the same time the first of the paddle steamers
started a regular service to Margate.
The first cheap reliable transport to the coast, so the
gentry hired a cabin, came to Thanet and rented an ‘ouse. This was a relatively
short heyday as by about 1850 the railways became the most reliable form of
transport to the coast and Brighton became London by the sea. Madam is an osculation
to you liking.
Only rich people would have been able to afford a book of engravings at that time, so when the rich came so did the pictorial record.
Click on the pictures to make 'em bigger.
Only rich people would have been able to afford a book of engravings at that time, so when the rich came so did the pictorial record.
Click on the pictures to make 'em bigger.
The people in these old pictures of Ramsgate are indistinct so I have added the famous painting of the Bridge family by John constable, which was painted around the same time to help with forming a more personal impression.
And finally link to the books that went out in
my bookshop today http://michaelsbookshop.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/lapthorne-in-bookshop.html
Brilliant, Michael!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for this truly wonderful collection of engravings