BAXTER, George (1804-1867) & WATERHOUSE, John (1789 -1842).
The Rev. J. Waterhouse Superintending the Landing of the Missionaries at Taranaki, New Zealand.
Engraving printed with sepia oil.
London: G. Baxter, 1844.
12 1/4" x 16 1/4" sheet.

This extremely detailed and emotional print shows the Rev. Charles and Mrs. Creed being carried ashore at Taranaki in New Zealand. It was originally reproduced in the Wesleyan Missionary Societies' Journal: "Seven native females in a transport of joy, anxiously carrying Mrs. Creed with the greatest care to the shore."

Waterhouse, a Wesleyan minister, was appointed general superintendent of Wesleyan Missions in the South Seas based at Hobart in 1838. He arrived on 1 Feb 1839, and completed the Melville Street Church in 1840. He undertook two lengthy missionary voyages embracing principally New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji. His last words were 'Missionaries, Missionaries, Missionaries'. Of his 12 children, three became Wesleyan ministers: Jabez (1821-91), Joseph (1828-81) and Samuel (1830-1918), while George (1824-1906) was briefly Premier of South Australia (1861) and New Zealand (1872-3) (M Olsson, The Waterhouse/Padman Story (Brisbane, 1987).

Baxter was a celebrated colour printer, who produced his first coloured print, 'Butterflies' in 1829. In 1834 he produced the coloured plates for 'Feathered Tribes of the British Islands' by Robert Mudie, and by 1844 had illustrated thirteen of his books. "His technique was innovatory, combining an engraved metal plate with as many as twenty engraved wooden blocks, each printed in a separate colour. The prints combined quality and cheapness and were produced in vast numbers. For the next twenty-five years Baxter dominated colour printing, branching out into a variety of publishing areas, including decorated music sheets, notepaper, pocket-books, and his famous needle cases. He claimed to have produced 20 million prints by the end of his career. Baxter's subjects were remarkably varied and included sentimental treatments of religious and romantic themes, prints of typical London figures, and newsworthy events. His piety led him to produce some of his most powerful work for the immensely influential and prosperous missionary societies. In collaboration with John Snow, Baxter worked for the London Missionary Society from 1837 to 1843, and in 1844-45 with the Baptist and Wesleyan missionary societies. His most celebrated missionary print was "The Massacre of the Lamented Missionary, the Rev. J. Williams and Mr. Harris at Erromanga" (1841)" (Marcus M. G. Wood for DNB). In 1836 Baxter received a royal patent for his printing process. he was awarded the great gold medal of Austria (1852), and medals for his exhibits at the Great Exhibitions in New York (1853) and Paris (1855), was elected a member of the Royal Society of Arts (1855), and received the grand gold medal of Sweden (1857). One of his prints 'The Madonna', sold more than 700,000 copies.