Illustrations+of+The+Rose

The text of //The Rose: or Affection's Gift for 1847// is complimented by 10 steel engravings by E. Finden, based off of sketches by Major Denham. The steel engravings correspond to a selection of the poems and stories, as is evident by the title included beneath each illustration. //The Rose//'s steel engravings exemplify an aspect of the book by which its history can be better understood.
 * //The Rose: or Affection's Gift for 1847 //** ﻿**ILLUSTRATIONS: STEEL ENGRAVINGS: **

For example, steel engravings were first used in the 1820's, as a more durable alternative to the traditional copper engravings, a fact that places the publication of //The Rose// in the mid 19th century. With increased use and popularity, steel engravings soon became both the new and common illustration method of the 1800's. Literary annuals such as //The Rose// clearly contributed to this change, as is mentioned in Bamber Gascoigne's manual, //How to Identify Prints//;


 * "sentimental subjects illustrated in the flood of ladies' annuals which were the publishing phenomenon of the 1820's and 1830's and which turned steel engraving for a while into a boom industry." **


 * THE STEEL ENGRAVING PROCESS: **

1. The engraver uses a burin (a tool with a sharply pointed, "v" shaped section) to scoop away metal, utilizing both etching and engraving methods.

2. The burin is driven away from the engraver, almost parallel to the plate, resulting in crisp, steady lines that are usually pointed at each end.

3. The engraver uses a variety of cross hatching techniques so as to achieve tonal differences within the engraving.

4. The end result: as a hard metal, a steel engraving is made up of many shallow, pale lines, recognizable not only by the different patterns created through cross hatching, but also by the clear, delicate and thin character of the lines.