Background:

These prints are from Picturesque Views of the Seats of Nobility and Gentlemen, a folio illustrating the castles and manor homes of the nobility and gentry.  Folios such as these were aimed at audiences familiar with the large estates of the time, and were priced modestly enough to appeal to middle class purchasers.

The illustrations are by Alexander Lydon, who also did the engravings from which the prints were produced.   We are always impressed with the "atmospheric" quality of these Lydon prints - the winter's hunt at Howsham Hall, the solitude of sunset at Scone Place, the fog draping the mountains by Inverary Castle.

The Rev. F. O. Morris authored the accompanying text which provided information about the families occupying each home.