Poems by Alfred Tennyson

Art Historical Context

Published in 1857 by Edward Moxon & Company, *Poems by Alfred Tenn* is a lavish illustrated edition of the Poet Laureate's verses, blending literature and visual art in a single volume. Measuring 9 x 6⅝ x 1¾ inches, this book from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Drawings and Prints department features engravings that capture the romantic and medieval spirit of Tennyson's poetry, such as his evocative works on nature, love, and legend. Contributors include Queen Victoria alongside luminaries like Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Sir John Everett Millais, and William Holman Hunt—key figures in the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood—making it a collaborative triumph of Victorian creativity. The illustrations employ mezzotint and wood engraving techniques, with master engravers like the Dalziel Brothers, John Thompson, and William James Linton translating designs by artists including Thomas Woolner, Clarkson Stanfield, and Daniel Maclise. Mezzotint's soft, painterly tones and wood engraving's precise lines brought Tennyson's words to life, enhancing themes of melancholy beauty and chivalric ideals. Printed by Bradbury & Evans, these images elevated poetry books into collectible art objects. This edition holds cultural significance as a bridge between poetry and the Pre-Raphaelite movement, reflecting mid-19th-century Britain's fascination with medieval revival and emotional depth. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1920, it remains a treasured example of how illustrated books democratized high art for general readers.

About the Artist

Alfred Tennyson|Dante Gabriel Rossetti|Edward Moxon & Company|Thomas Woolner|Alfred Tennyson|Henry Robinson|Bradbury & Evans|Queen Victoria|Thomas Creswick|Thomas Williams|Sir John Everett Millais|Dalziel Brothers|William Holman Hunt|John Thompson|William James Linton|William Mulready|John Callcott Horsley|Clarkson Stanfield|Daniel Maclise|W. T. Green (British|British|British|British|British|British|British|British|British|British|British|British|British|British|British|Irish|British|British|Irish|British) · 1809 |1828 |1800 |1825 |1809 |1827 |1830 |1819 |1811 |1798 |1829 |1839 |1827 |1785 |1812 |1786 |1817 |1793 |1805 |1837 –1892 |1882 |1899 |1892 |1892 |1872 |1930 |1901 |1869 |1862 |1896 |1893 |1910 |1866 |1897 |1863 |1903 |1867 |1870 |1872

British, Somersby, Lincolnshire 1809–1892 Surrey|British, London 1828–1882 Birchington-on-Sea|London|British, Hadleigh, Suffolk 1825–1892 London|British, Somersby, Lincolnshire 1809–1892 Surrey|British, active 1827–72| |British, London 1819–1901 East Cowes, Isle of Wight|British, Sheffield 1811–1869 London|British, Colchester, Essex 1798–1862 after|British, Southampton 1829–1896 London|British, ac...