Farmer's Year - October, Cider Making by Clare Leighton

DESCRIPTION 

This is an original antique book illustration taken from The Farmers Year published by Collins in 1933. This seminal work included 12 large wood engravings illustrating various aspects of farming life and designed specifically to show off the technical and artistic virtuosity of the engraver with a series of large and visually stunning images.  Clare Leighton was one of a number of woodblock artists in this period when the genre was at its most popular for illustration of printed matter.

Only original copies of the published works are used and only books that have become detached and beyond repair are used (later reprints are on poorer quality paper and the woodblock is less distinct with age and usage). These prints are full page without marks or distracting print on the rear. The print is fixed to conservation standard backing paper and mounted in a complementary “milkwood” textured, acid free conservation standard mount board ready for framing. Our framing studio uses state of the art computerised mount board cutting equipment. The mount boards have a generous margin to show the prints in the best possible way.

Mount size: to fit frame 44 x 40.7 cms

Actual illustration size: 27 x 22.8 cms

DETAILS

Only original copies of the published works are used (later reprints are on poorer quality paper and the woodblock image is less distinct with age and usage). These prints are full page without marks on the rear.

The print is hinge mounted to an extra thick (2.4mm) conservation standard antique white mountboard with a black core slip mount to help the image “pop”. The print has a conservation standard backing board and the whole item is ready for framing. The mount boards have a generous margin to show the prints in the best possible way.

The attached photos show the detail of the print, how it looks mounted and photos of similar prints from the same series framed and displayed so you can see how these might fit in with your own interior decor. We run a fully equipped framing studio so all the materials and preparation are of a professional standard. We are happy to consider any special requirements you may have including multiples, sets etc.

CONDITION

Very good clean and crisp condition with no text or distracting marks. The paper is good quality heavy paper. This is an original 1930s print so paper has slightly creamy/yellow appearance but this lends the overall image a nice vintage aspect. Mounts are specifically chosen to work with the paper to show the fine detail of the illustration to best effect.

ABOUT CLARE LEIGHTON (1898-1989)

An English/American artist, writer and illustrator, best known for her wood engravings, trained at the Slade School of Fine Art and the Central School of Arts and Crafts, where she studied wood engraving under Noel Rooke. She emigrated to America in 1939.

Over the course of a long and prolific career, she wrote and illustrated numerous books praising the virtues of the countryside and the people who worked the land.