The Duke of Wellington, from Old English Masters
1899, printed 1902
Medium
Wood engraving on chine paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 43.5 × 34.5 cm (17 3/16 × 13 5/8 in.)
Classification
wood engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
77338
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Prints and Drawings gallery, where Timothy Cole's *The Duke of Wellington, from English Masters* (1899, printed 1902) captures the stern resolve of one of Britain's greatest military heroes. Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington famed for defeating Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, was a pivotal figure in 19th-century European history Cole, a master American wood engraver, created this as part of a celebrated series reproducing iconic portraits by "Old English Masters," translating paintings into intricate prints that brought museum treasures to wider audiences through public...
About the Artist
Timothy Cole
Timothy Cole (1852–1931) was one of the most celebrated wood engravers of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, renowned for his extraordinary ability to translate the tonal richness of Old Master paintings into the exacting medium of engraved wood. Born in London, England, Cole emigrated with his family to the United States in 1858. He began his career as a wood engraver in Chicago, but t...