to find such light

John Sell Cotman, Durham, c.1805.

(Source: tate.org.uk)

Joseph Mallord William Turner, Tamworth and the River Tame Bridges from near Fazeley, Staffordshire, c.1830.

(Source: tate.org.uk)

Joseph Mallord William Turner, Lichfield Cathedral: Preparatory Study, c.1832.

(Source: tate.org.uk)

Sample book of 10 printed velveteens, manufactured by Morris & Co., England, 1890s.

“Printed velveteens became very fashionable in the 1870s and provided one of the most recognisable artistic furnishings of the period. In February 1877 Morris wrote to Thomas Wardle, ‘We could have a trade in velvets and serges if we could get the colours good and fast.’ Examples were exhibited by Morris & Co. at the first Arts and Crafts Exhibition in 1888 and the patterns included in their book were designed by Morris and Henry Dearle over a wide period from 1876. Velveteen fell from popularity some years before this book was offered to the Museum in February 1919. H C Marillier wrote ‘I have found you after a long hunt an ancient pattern book of Morris’s printed cotton velvets, which had a great vogue in their day. They are beautiful materials and I can’t imagine why they ever lost popularity but they did.’” [V&A]

cavetocanvas:

Thomas Cole, Unfinished Landscape, c. 1845-47

Wallis’s Picturesque Round Game of the Produce and Manufacturers of the Counties of England and Wales, produced by John Passmore, c.1850.

“This is a geographical race game played on a map of England and Wales. The map is divided into counties with representations of local landmarks and industry. There are 151 playing spaces. The play is a circular one, with the starting space at the River Thames and the end space in London. This particular game was sold by E. Gibbons, dealer in German and French fancy goods, at 15 North Street, Bristol.” [V&A]

Peter De Wint (1784‑1849), The Trent near Burton.

(Source: tate.org.uk)

This extremely colourful game is a continuation of the Historical Pastime game which charted English history from the Norman Conquest to the accession of George III and this game celebrates his Golden Jubilee. There are 150 playing spaces detailing the major events of the reign of George III. The accompanying booklet, which uses flowery language in praise of the king, does not refrain from describing some of the more disagreeable events. It also includes descriptions of scientific and geographical discoveries. [V&A]

John Harris, The Jubilee (board game), 1810.

Eadweard Muybridge, sequence of photographs from Animal Locomotion, 1887.

(Source: collections.vam.ac.uk)

Hand coloured moral race game, The Mount of Knowledge, published in England in the early nineteenth century.

The game features a path that meanders through a landscape, with small circular pictures showing a wood, a river and other features. The first circle, called the Horn Book, reflects one of the teaching methods of the time. Players must stop here to learn the letters of the alphabet. There are various forfeits and rewards along the way. These include punishments for boasting, wasting time and pride, and rewards for repentance, patience and diligence. [V&A]