WASHINGTON ALLSTON (AMERICAN, 1779-1843) FOLIO OF "OUTLINES AND SKETCHES", engravings on paper, 18 engravings on 16 pages, engraved by J. & S. W. Cheney, Boston: Stephen H. Perkins, 1850, preface states "The Outlines and Sketches contained in this Volume, are a part of those found in Mr. Allston's Studio, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, after his death, in July, 1843". Original boards with title in gold. 16 1/4" x 21 3/4".
Good overall condition, some edge stains and light foxing, expected wear to covers, losses to spine.
Provenance: Ex-Sumpter Priddy Alexandria, VA.
Catalogue Note: The artist, Washington Allston (1779-1843) was born in Georgetown, South Carolina to a family of wealthy plantation owners. His time in the South, however, was short-lived. After the untimely death of his father and his mother’s subsequent remarriage, the young Allston spent the remainder of his childhood in Newport, Rhode Island. During his adolescence, he received a solid education, first at Harvard University, and later at the Royal Academy in London under the tutelage of the expatriate painter Benjamin West. Throughout his life, he spent much of his time on extended study tours in Europe, returning occasionally to the United States.
Allston achieved international fame during his lifetime, primarily as one of America’s foremost landscape artist as well as a leading exponent of Romanticism. He also gained acclaim for his many portraits and paintings of historical and biblical scenes. His genteel mannerism, skill as a draftsman, and the diversity of his subject matter would win him the admiration of the most cultivated aesthetes of his time.
Although originally never intended for publication, the 18 engravings and 2 lithographs contained within this folio provide an intimate glimpse of the studies and sketches found in the artist’s studio after his death.
An example of this folio survives in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Good overall condition, some edge stains and light foxing, expected wear to covers, losses to spine.