Tombleson & Co Circa 1840 Hand Coloured Steel Engraved Print Thames at Sunbury Locks

ON AUCTION IS A UNIQUELY HAND COLOURED STEEL ENGRAVED PRINT OF THE THAMES AT SUNBURY LOCKS. DRAWN BY WILLIAM TOMBLESON AND PUBLISHED BY TOMBLESON  CO. CIRCA 1840. WITH A SAILBOAT IN THE CHANNAL, PACK HORSES OFFLOADING ON THE LEFT BANK AND MEN (POSSIBLY THE LOCK KEEPERS) RESTING ON THE LEFT BANK.
 
IN VERY GOOD CONDITION WITH GOOD COLOURS AND CLEAR ENGRAVING AND NO FOXING.  THE ARTIST WAS WILLIAM TOMBLESON. IT WAS ENGRAVED OR SCULPTURED BY W. LACEY. IT WAS PUBLISHED BY TOMBLESON & CO. IN EIGHTY PICTURESQUE VIEWS OF THE THAMES AND MEDWAY.
 
At 215 miles (346km) long, the River Thames is the second longest river in the UK (after the river Severn) it even has 45 different locks and over 180 islands, including large, lush marshlands and tiny islets!
 
Sunbury Lock is a lock complex of the River Thames in England near Walton in north-west Surrey. The river, on quitting Walton assumes a more direct course with a deepened current, and soon reaches Sunbury lock. Sunbury lies on the left. The stream now becomes rapid, and quickly arrives at Hampton, whose new and elegant church has often afforded an interesting view at the different windings of the stream. On the Surry bank is a long-extended line of ground and on which annual horse races were held.
 
A lock is a large chamber, built across the stream, with large gates at either end that hold back the water. Boats can enter the lock at one level, the gates shut behind and the lock then fills or empties of water until the boat has reached the next level on the river. The first proper locks appeared in the 1630s. The lock is a place where boats that travel up or down a river or canal can be moved to the next higher or lower level. Locks are built in places where the level of the water in the river or canal suddenly changes. In the past lock were manually hand operated with later locks operated hydrolically. Lock keepers on the Thames are used to operate the locks.
 
MARKINGS: HAND COLOURED STEEL PLATE ENGRAVING CIRCA 1840
THIS PRINT IS GUARANTEED TO BE MORE THAN A 100 YEARS OLD
 
SIZE: LINE ENGRAVING 19.5CM WIDE 16.5CM HIGH
BACKBOARD 33CM WIDE 29.5CM HIGH

CONDITION: ARTWORK STILL CLEAR WITH HAND COLOURING STILL BEAUTIFUL. HAND COLOURED LINE ENGRAVING WAS MOUNTED OR PASTED ONTO A HARDBOARD WITH PLASTIC COVERING. SMALL TEAR TO PLASTIC COVERING. NO MAJOR PAPER DISCOLOURATION OR FOXING VISIBLE. IN VERY GOOD CONDITION.
 
WILLIAM TOMBLESON (1795-1845):
William Tombleson was an English topographical and architecture artist, illustrator, copper and steel engraver, writer and printmaker, and publisher based in London. 
In the 1830s, his topographical drawings of the upper and middle River Rhine in Germany and of the rivers Thames and Medway in England were published as engraved prints and in books.
Engravers who worked on Tombleson's drawings included Thomas Clark, John Cleghorn, T. Cox, R. Harris, W. Hood, J. Howe, W. Lacey, O. Smith, Shenfield, J. Stokes, D. Thompson, W. Watts, R. Wilson, H Winkles and others.
 
PLEASE ALSO SEE MY OTHER ITEMS LISTED. I HAVE 4 OTHER ANTIQUE HAND COLOURED STEEL ENGRAVED PRINTS ON AUCTION THIS WEEK. ALSO A RARE HAND COLOURED WORLD MAP OF 1532 WITH CANNIBALS AND SEA MONSTERS. COPY THE URL UNDERNEATH AND PASTE INTO GOOGLE AND IT WILL TAKE YOU DIRECTLY TO ALL MY LISTINGS THIS WEEK. NOTE ALL MY AUCTIONS END AT 22H30 SO IT IS ADVISABLE TO PUT IN AN AUTOMATIC BID (HIGHEST PRICE YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY) EARLY.
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