Pre-Raphaelite Illustrations: The Wood Engraving Process

During their careers the majority of the Pre-Raphaelite artists designed illustrations for publication in periodicals and books. This resource aims to provide an overview of the wood engraving process using the large number of objects related to Pre-Raphaelite illustration in the Birmingham collection. These items include preliminary drawings, woodblocks, printed proofs and the final illustrations. The collection offers a unique insight into the various stages of the wood engraving process and the relationship between the artists and the wood engravers who translated their designs into carved woodblocks. Although the collection is rich in objects relating to several of the Pre-Raphaelites this resource examines the work of two artists whose careers as illustrators are particularly well documented by the collection: Ford Madox Brown (1821-1892) and Frederick Sandys (1828-1904). Each stage of the wood engraving process will be outlined using visual sources from the collection.