The Battles of the British Army in Portugal, Spain, and France.
A set of 13 hand-coloured ci...

The Battles of the British Army in Portugal, Spain, and France.
A set of 13 hand-coloured circular aquatint views of the Battles of Vimiero, The Douro, Talavera, Busaco, Albuera, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pampeluna, St. Sebastian, Toulouse, and Waterloo, by Edward Orme, London, 66mm diameter, each on thin card, with an historical account of the action on the reverse, contained in a circular bronze case in form of a medallion, bust of the Duke of Wellington on obverse lid; winged muse of history seated beneath an olive tree recording on a tablet the ‘Record of British Valour’ on reverse lid, ‘Picture Medal’ inscribed below; ‘The Battles of the British Army in Portugal, Spain and France from the Year 1808 to 1814 under the Command of England’s Great Captain Arthur Duke of Wellington’ title card on inside of lower lid, and housed in a contemporary red leather circular case, the lid embossed ‘Record of British Valour’, traces of tabs that originally held the cards together, otherwise very fine and rare, especially in outer case (13) £300-£400 --- Mr. Edward Orme, of Bond Street, London, was, after Ackermann, the most important publisher of coloured aquatint prints. British success at sea and on land was one of the staple subjects of his publishing: ‘He has omitted no opportunity of bringing forward to public admiration, by the graphic art, the principal events in which our arms have triumphed both by sea and land, publishing at various periods engravings of those great exploits most calculated to impress the mind with correct ideas of the arduous struggles which have immortalised the British name.'’ (The History of Aquatint Engraving, by S. T. Prideaux refers). It is thought that he produced over 700 of this series.