Observations, Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty, Made in the Year 1772, on Several Parts of England: Volume 2
Particularly the Mountains, and Lakes of Cumberland, and Westmoreland

Published in 1786, this two-volume work formed part of a series exploring the concept of the picturesque in British landscapes.

William Gilpin (Author)

9781108066754, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 21 November 2013

318 pages, 14 b/w illus. 1 colour illus.
21.6 x 14 x 1.8 cm, 0.41 kg

Clergyman, schoolmaster and writer on aesthetics, William Gilpin (1724–1804) is best known for his works on the picturesque. In his Essay on Prints, published in 1768 and reissued in this series, he defined picturesque as 'a term expressive of that peculiar kind of beauty, which is agreeable in a picture'. First published in 1786, this two-volume work formed part of a successful series which recorded his reflections on the picturesque across British landscapes. It traces the journey he made in 1772, equipped with notebook and sketching materials, in the Lake District. Continuing to describe his route and its highlights, Volume 2 includes discussion of parts of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire as well as the Lakes. The volume also features several reproductions of Gilpin's pen-and-wash drawings. Further exploring the concept of the picturesque, his volumes of Observations on other parts of Britain are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.

16. Butermer lower lake
17. Druid temple
18. Description of a gill, or ravine
19. Description of Ulleswater
20. City of Carlisle
21. Description of Brugh-marsh
22. Netherby
23. Vale of Lowther
24. Observations on a formal piece of ground near Brugh
25. Studley
26. Hackfall
27. Rippon
28. General description of the peak of Derbyshire
29. Description of Dovedale
30. Keddleston
31. Country about Leicester
32. Country about Northampton
Explanation of the prints.

Subject Areas: Art forms [AF]