FINE REGENCY ALBUM OF WATERCOLOURS, DRAWINGS, OIL SKETCHES, AND ENGRAVINGS

Folio (365 x 245mm). Handsome contemporary blindstamped red morocco, ruled and decorated in gilt. Containing a collection of fine original watercolours, oil sketches, pencil drawings, and engravings of natural history subjects, costume groups and genre scenes, mostly mounted recto only across around 90 leaves. Original label for "Louisa Tyrrell / Late widow of G. Fielder / 2 Greek St. Soho" to the front pastedown. The binding, which has some scuffs to the lower board, is detached from the textblock, although the album still sits together neatly as a collection of artworks contained within their attractive original boards, now serving as a folder. The contents with a few loose items, some scattered foxing and toning to the pages, and the odd tear (one larger tear affecting a botanical watercolour on pith), are otherwise in very good order, the artworks remaining clean and the colours bright.

A wonderful regency album containing dozens of highly accomplished artworks including five exceptional animal studies in pencil and watercolour signed "B. Fenning" (hare coursing; dappled race horse; grouse shooting with dogs; wolfhound; grouse); nine colourful watercolour costume groups (two signed "D. Lynch, 1829", four of European female traditional costumes, and three incorporating means of transport - one depicting an open carriage with nine flamboyantly dressed female passengers, another showing a bullock drawing carts); eight beautiful botanical scenes incorporating birds and butterflies, highlighted in gilt, some incorporating decoupage elements; four oil views of rural landscapes, and several others in watercolout (likely European); three fine female portraits in pencil (one dated 1840); several watercolours of temples; naval scenes in watercolour and pencil; an attractive pencil drawing of the Menai bridge and several other topographical scenes; and a number of superbly hand-coloured engravings. The album itself originated from Louisa Tyrrell's "Emporium of Fancy" in Soho, an establishment where "every material for ladies fancy work" could be obtained. An appealing, complete early nineteenth-century album with unusually fine contents and a high proportion of original pieces.