The prints in this case are from Stephen Bone’s The Western Isles Album, which contains over 50 artist proofs and original pen & ink drawings. An artist’s proof is an impression taken during the printmaking process in order to see the state of the print at different stages of its production. In this case, one sees the original pen & ink drawing and 5 subsequent proofs from the chapter titled “Tinklers” displayed in sequential order.  ‘Tinklers’ was a derogatory term used to describe the indigenous Gaelic-speaking people of northern Scotland. The word tinker comes from the Gaelic word “tinceard” meaning tinsmith. In this  case the book is open to the “Tinklers” chapter showing the “tinceard” families positioned in front of their traditional bow shaped tents.

In the pen and ink drawing, Bone used white ink to create the illusion of light and depth, which he was later to replicate in his woodcut. In the 2nd and 3rd stages of the proof the white areas become the sky and smoke. In the 4th state, more wood is carved away, using white to reveal intricate details, documenting Bone’s incremental development of the image. 

Many travelogues and guidebooks feature pen and ink drawings, watercolour, or lithographs that attempt to depict the landscapes of Scotland with scant representation of its inhabitants. In contrast, Of the Western Isles features a revived use of woodcuts that captures perfectly the intimate details of the people of the Outer Hebrides and their abodes.

A PDF version of this album is currently under construction.