Sketches Of Welsh Costumes . Volumes 1 And 2 2 Volumes - Steel Engraved Vignettes

London: Rock Brothers & Payne,. Near Fine with no dust jacket. (1853). Unknown - Early UK Edition. Paper Covers,. Two separate volumes. During the 1850s, Rock and Co published a series of 16 prints of Welsh costumes, 8 of which had bilingual titles. Most of the women in these are shown wearing very tall Welsh hats. The women represented were probably mostly from farmers families, and most of the events depicted are special occasions. They were published in small oblong volumes, showing just 6 in each volume. The fact that some of these were bilingual suggests that they were not just for the English visitors market. They often represent regional variations of Welsh costume, but some of the backgrounds include recognisable buildings. Many of the prints are signed with the monogram TO, and this was the artist and publisher Thomas Onwhyn, (1811-1886). As this is published by Rock Bros. & Payne, rather than just Rock & Co, with the title 'Sketches of Welsh Costume' rather than '6 Plates of ...' , or just 'Welsh costumes' suggests that this is a New and Re-organised Edition when the firm was joined by Payne, a litle later, with a varied selection from the original 16 prints. Both volumes in cream printed paper wrappers, printed in black, with an embossed cream 'doily' design around the Titling on the front cover. Numbers I and 2, respectively, printed on the top right corner. Books not dated per se, but 1853 dated on each vignette. Internally Fine (1 vignette only had a very light patch of foxing on a blank corner. All the rest look 'as new'! 6 superb B&W steel-engraved vignette illustrations with a slight variation in size in each booklet. Most engravings captioned in both English and Welsh, but a few in English only. Volume 1 depicts = 'A Bidding in Wales' ; 'A Wedding in Wales' ; 'Returning from the Wedding' ; Welsh Fishwives, Llangwm, Pembrokeshire' ; 'Return From Market, Gower, Glamorgan' ; and 'Welsh Chapels'. Volume 2 = 'Welsh Peasantry' ; 'Market Day, Wales' ; 'Hiring Fair' ; ' Mode of Carrying Infants' ; ' Fishermen with Coracles' ; and 'Dressing the Grave with flowers' . No other text, as issued. Scarce on their own - even scarcer is the set of 2. Images available on request. ; Prints; Vol. 1 & 2; Oblong c. 4" - 7" tall .