Gainsborough & His Place In English Art. By Sir Walter Armstrong Director Of the National Gallery, Ireland ; with sixty-two photogravures and ten lithographic facsimiles in colour. by ARMSTRONG, Walter Sir 1850-1918

London: William Heinemann, [ New York: Charles Scribner's Sons ], MDCCCXCIX. [1899 ] . 0. "The printing of the First Edition of this volume, consisting of 1250 copies, was commenced on March 1st, and completed on September 30th, 1898, at the Ballantyne Press, London. This Reprint of 250 copies was made in its present form. The paper of the text is of English make; that of the plates, French. The copper plates in and out of the text were made by Mr. Walter Colls from photographs, with a few exceptions, specially taken for the volume. The photogravures were printed by Mr. Charles Preston. The lithographs of the sketches and drawings were prepaered and printed by Mr. W. Griggs." A very good full leather binding by Zaehnsdorf. Folio. 15.25" x 12.00" x 2.75". pp.9/[1p.]/pp. 214 pages, plus 47 un-numbered leaves of plates. Tan morocco over thick boards. Spine with 5 raised bands and gilt titles: "Gainsborough. - Sir W. Armstrong" & "1899". Edges lightly rubbed and bumped. Top page edges gilt. Inner gilt dentelles and gilt binder's stamp: "Bound By Zaehnsdorf 1900." Brown silk endpapers. Armorial bookplate to front free-endpaper with motto: "Vi Et Virtute" ('through strength and valor'). Clean text and engravings throughout. Plates accompanied by guard sheets with descriptive letterpress. Just light offsetting on the facing page. A very good book in a very good binding. ** "Sir Walter Armstrong (7 February 1850 Hawick, Roxburghshire – 8 August 1918 London) was a British art historian and author. Armstrong was born in 1850, was educated at Harrow and Exeter College, Oxford, and for some 10 years after 1880 was art critic to several newspapers, such as the Pall Mall Gazette, the Manchester Guardian, and the old Manchester Examiner. He made his mark in the art world, and was consulted by students and collectors, becoming an authority especially on Dutch 17th-century and English 18th-century painting. Several fine collections, of which that of Mr. S. Joseph, was one, were mainly formed under his advice. In 1892, he succeeded the late Henry Doyle as Director of the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin, which his predecessor had reorganized and developed; and in this post Armstrong remained for over 20 years, his services recognized by a knighthood in 1899. During his time in Dublin he wrote many books, among which his stately volumes on Sir Joshua Reynolds, Gainsborough, and Raeburn were the chief, that held a position of authority for many years afterwards. Earlier and later he wrote columns on men so various as Peter De Wint, Velasquez, and Sir Thomas Lawrence, and a book of "Notes" on the National Gallery, containing many suggestive criticisms. Armstrong was said to be quick at absorbing the essential points of contemporary researchers and in judging them by the aid of a keen eye and a clear brain." - See Wikipedia .