“STILL REGARDED AS A BRILLIANT EXAMPLE OF LITHOGRAPHIC WORK”: SIMPSON’S DRAMATIC COVERAGE OF THE CRIMEAN WAR, WITH 79 LARGE FOLIO TINTED LITHOGRAPHS

(CRIMEAN WAR) SIMPSON, William. The Seat of War in the East… First Series. BOUND WITH: Second Series. London: Paul and Dominic Colnaghi, 1855, 1856. Elephant folio (15-1/2 by 22-1/2 inches), contemporary three-quarter burgundy morocco gilt, raised bands, black morocco spine label, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt.

First edition of this remarkable series of images from the Crimean War, by the “pioneer war-artist” William Simpson, the complete First and Second Series with two lithographed vignette title pages and 79 large folio tinted lithographs—tinted in two colors—in attractive contemporary morocco.

“After the Crimean war broke out Simpson was engaged upon views of the Baltic battles for Colnaghi & Son; and when that firm decided to publish a large illustrated work on the Crimean campaign from sketches made on the spot, Simpson was selected for the work on Day’s recommendation. He started on short notice, arrived at Balaclava in November 1854, and remained with the British army till the fall of Sebastopol. Simpson was thus the pioneer war-artist, and received several commissions to paint incidents in the war for the queen. The Seat of War in the East was published in two volumes by Colnaghi in 1855-6, and is still regarded as a brilliant example of lithographic work” (DNB). “These plates are indeed an impressive piece of work, not only artistically and technically, but also as pictorial reporting. Simpson must in this way rank as an early war correspondent” (Abbey). Simpson covered one of the first wars to be documented extensively in written reports, drawings and even photographs. News correspondence reaching Britain from the Crimea was the first time the public could follow the day-to-day realities of war. Both series were published in ten parts, each part containing four plates, except the last part of the second series, which contained five plates, including the lithographed title page. This work was also issued with the plates hand-colored. Abbey Travel 237.

Plate 17 in the First Series with marginal paper repair, not affecting image or caption. Occasional foxing, chiefly marginal, images generally clean and fine. Light rubbing to attractive contemporary morocco binding. An excellent copy.