Circa 1854 - 1856 Hand Coloured Lithographs : J.F. Herring's Sen. Fox Hunting - The complete series, comprised of 4 lithographs in colors, with the blindstamp of the publisher in the lower left corner of each - see photograph. published by E. Gambart & Co., London, printed by J. West Giles at M & N Hanhart, London, with text and margins, all framed.
Titles Include: The Start, The Meet, The Run, The Death. (4)
Frames measure approx. 33" x 42".
Visible image area to the mat measures approx. 26" x 35".
Coloured image area measures approx. 23" x 34".
Condition : Plate one has an area of dis-colouration or staining to it's upper right corner - please see photographs of the first lithograph. Plates two, three and four are in excellent condition. Lithographs are behind glass, in quality frames. Note the size, this is a large impressive set. Professionally framed.
NOTE : sorry, my ghosted reflection appears in many of the photos from taking the photos through the glass.
Should it be of interest, I pulled up the following information from the internet doing research on this set:
"The specific combination of addresses and publisher names you see on your print confirms it was struck in 1854 (or at the absolute latest, early 1856), making it an authentic, first-era issue.
The inclusion of "Goupil & Co. Paris" points directly to the print's original international release network. Ernest Gambart actually moved to London in 1840 specifically to act as the British distribution agent for Goupil & Cie, a massive Parisian print publisher. When Gambart eventually struck out on his own to form E. Gambart & Co., he maintained a tight, reciprocal co-publishing relationship with his former employers.
Because your prints carry this exact early address string, the international co-publisher mark, publisher's blind stamp seal, and are definitively hand-coloured lithographs, they represent the original, highly desirable run of the series.
Blind stamp in the lower margin : Ernest Gambart was a driving force behind the Printsellers' Association (established in 1847 to combat art forgery). They utilized embossed, colorless seals (blind stamps) to strictly regulate and guarantee the authenticity of limited-edition "Proof" states printed before the regular production run began.
The presence of this stamp confirms the set is not a standard strike, but a premium Proof. This perfectly explains the exceptionally fine, smooth paper (such as an India Paper chine-collé) identified earlier, as proofs were almost exclusively struck on these delicate surfaces to capture the sharpest possible detail from the lithographic stone.
1854: Ernest Gambart's London publishing house originally commissioned and released this specific "Fox Hunting" lithograph series (drawn by J. West Giles after J.F. Herring Sr.) in the spring of this year.
1870: Ernest Gambart officially retired from the daily operations of his London art dealing and publishing business. He handed the firm over to his nephew, Léon Henri Lefèvre, and his business manager, Mathias Pilgeram."
The Production Process :
For the strikes issued by Gambart (and printed by Hanhart) from the mid-1850s through the 1880s, the visual impact relied on a hybrid of mechanical printing and hand-finishing:
The Keystone: The master image drawn by Giles was inked and printed to create the highly detailed black-and-white foundation, capturing all the outlines and shading of the horses, hounds, and riders.
Tint Stones: Early, high-quality editions often utilized one or two additional lithographic stones printed over the black layer to lay down broad areas of base colour, such as a pale blue/grey for the sky or a muted tan for the earth.
Hand-Colouring: The vibrant reds of the hunting coats (the "pinks"), the specific markings of the hounds, and the bright greens of the English countryside were applied entirely by hand using watercolours. Teams of professional colourists painted each print individually before it was sold."
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