Observations, Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty, Made in the Year 1772, on Several Parts of England: Volume 1: Particularly the Mountains, and Lakes of Cumberland, and Westmoreland

Clergyman, schoolmaster and writer on aesthetics, William Gilpin (1724-1804) is best known for his works on the picturesque. In his Essay on Prints, published in 1768 and reissued in this series, he defined picturesque as ‘a term expressive of that peculiar kind of beauty, which is agreeable in a picture’. First published in 1786, this two-volume work formed part of a successful series which recorded his reflections on the picturesque across British landscapes. It traces the journey he made in 1772, equipped with notebook and sketching materials, in the Lake District. Describing his route from southern England, noting highlights along the way, Volume 1 includes discussion of Furness, Windermere and Keswick. The volume also features several reproductions of Gilpin’s pen-and-wash drawings. Further exploring the concept of the picturesque, his volumes of Observations on other parts of Britain are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.