Empson, Charles

[Original drawings for his Narratives of South America]. [present-day Colombia, 1824-1827]



30 drawings of which 18 are watercolor (no. 24 is in grays and blacks) and 12 are pencil (no. 21 faintly signed "Empson"), each with tissue guards, various sizes approximately 7 x 9 in.; 178 x 230 mm, all mounted in an album, mounting leaves numbered 1-32 in a contemporary hand; no. 16 skipped in numeration, no. 31 removed. Contemporary dark-green straight-grain morocco, with floral blind-tooled border and gilt-tooled frame, spine gilt, top edge gilt, pink silk placeholders; edges rubbed, corners bumped, a few scuffs and scratches.

Purchased from Francis Edwards Ltd., London, in 1953 for £86.

30 drawings of which 18 are watercolor (no. 24 is in grays and blacks) and 12 are pencil, each with tissue guards, various sizes approximately 7 x 9 in.; 178 x 230 mm, all mounted in an album. Contemporary dark-green straight-grain morocco, with floral blind-tooled border and gilt-tooled frame, spine gilt, top edge gilt, pink silk placeholders; edges rubbed, corners bumped, a few scuffs and scratches.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Handsome collection of watercolors and pencil sketches.

Charles Empson (1794-1861), maternal uncle of the famous epidemiologist John Snow, left England for South America in 1824, spending his time in what is now Colombia, travelling with his friend Robert Stephenson (son of the railway engineer George Stephenson). There he compiled these sketches of picturesque scenes, concentrating primarily on that natural beauty of the landscapes. Leaving Colombia at the end of July 1827, the two friends travelled to New York, where some of their possessions were lost in a shipwreck in New York harbor. After a walking tour of New York State and Canada, the two departed for Liverpool, with Empson finally settling in Newcastle-upon-Tyne where he started a business as a fine art bookseller, which was relocated to Bath in 1834.

Nine of these drawings appear to be preliminary studies for plates in the 1836 publication: 
 2. pencil sketch for Cocina (p. 53 of the publication)
13. town of Merida with more buildings in the foreground and snow-capped mountains behind (cf. p. 150)
17. pencil sketch for South American Cottage (cf. p. 18)
18. pencil sketch for Rustic Corridor (cf. p. 33)
19. South American Cottage (cf. p. 18)
20. Rustic Corridor (cf. p. 33)
26. mountainscape, possibly Peladeros (cf. p. 105)
30. pencil sketch for Honda (cf. p. 79)
32. ravine, possibly Unburied Dead (cf. p. 193).
The correspondences are not at all exact, with the drawings providing much more elaborate detail, color, and foreground activity than the published versions. Of course, this album provides an additional 21 images not found in the publication.