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Wilson Room Prints Collection, 1738-1885

By Hannah Lawson and Anne Bahde

Collection Overview

Title: Wilson Room Prints Collection, 1738-1885

Predominant Dates: 1789-1845

ID: MSS WilsonRoom

Extent: 2.5 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: The Wilson Room Prints Collection is arranged physically by size within each box, and intellectually by date in chronological order.

Languages of Materials: English [eng], French [fre]

Abstract

The Wilson Room Prints Collection consists of nearly 200 prints from the late 18th century and early 19th century that were compiled by Norman and Glenville Starr Wilson and represent various printing processes of this period.

Scope and Content Notes

The Wilson Room Prints Collection consists of nearly 200 prints from the late 18th century and early 19th century. All prints were produced in Britain, and the collection is a broad body of examples from popular artists of the day, primarily William Hogarth but also including Thomas Rowlandson, Joseph Nash, and W. H. Bartlett. A number of different printing processes are present, including engravings, etchings, aquatints, lithographs, and mezzotints, and many are hand-colored. Prints are listed with artist, then engraver's names.

A number of artists and engravers are represented in the collection, but it is dominated by prints from William Hogarth. Hogarth's popularity during this time was unrivaled, and his satirical commentary on morality and social mores of the day was often imitated. The collection includes full or partial sets of his famous series "The Rake's Progress" and "The Harlot's Progress" as well as several prints of his well-known Beer Street and Gin Lane. Particularly notable in the collection are selections from Joseph Nash's Mansions of England, a triumph of lithography produced in the 1840s over several series. The hand-tinted prints depict famous estates and castles of England in medieval and early modern settings. Also notable are hand-colored aquatints from Thomas Rowlandson's Syntax series.

Biographical / Historical Notes

The Norman W. and Glenville Starr Wilson Room, located separately from the Special Collections and Archives Research Center in The Valley Library, is the result of a gift of books, art, and furnishings donated by Norman W. Wilson, retired Professor of English at the University and his wife Glenville. The couple spent many years traveling in England, were attracted to 18th and 19th century British history, and began collecting prints, artifacts, and volumes from the period. In 1993, Wilson asked the Oregon State University Libraries if it might be interested in receiving a portion of his collection for use by students and scholars who would study the period reflected by his holdings. Following conversations with the University Librarian and others on campus, Mr. Wilson decided to provide the collection along with funds to furnish a room dedicated to its presentation. The Norman W. and Glenville Starr Wilson Room is the result.

Author: Cliff Mead

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 3 oversize boxes; additional materials in Wilson Room

Statement on Access: The collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: The prints were donated by Norman Wilson in 1993.

Related Materials: Other examples of printing during this time period can be found in the William H. Galvani Rare Maps Collection. Prints from the mid-19th century, including other tinted lithographs, can be found in the Gerald Williams Prints Collection.

Preferred Citation: Wilson Room Prints Collection (MSS WilsonRoom), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Processing Information:

We acknowledge that materials in SCARC collections and the language that describes them may be harmful.  We are actively working to address our descriptive practices; for more information please see ourSCARC Anti-racist Actions Statement online.

Please be aware items in this collection contain racist imagery that may be disturbing or activating. We acknowledge the racism represented by this imagery and the harm it may cause our users. Providing access to these historical materials does not endorse any attitudes or behavior depicted therein.

[Date of acknowledgement: March 2024]

People, Places, and Topics

Hogarth, William, 1697-1764.
Prints-Technique.

Forms of Material

Engravings (prints)
Etchings (prints).
Lithographs.

Box and Folder Listing