The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-07 00:00:00

FINE ART S.

Incidents In the Baltic. Part I. Sketch•nd by E.
T. Dolby. Published by Paul and Dominic
Coluaghi.
A delightful series of lithographic plates taken
by M. and N. Hanhart from original drawings
sketched from nature by E. T. Dolby, is now, we
are glad to observe, in course of publication. Of
this series the "part" before us constitutes the
initial instalment. It comprises two engravings

of Costume, and three of Places, Incidents, and
Character. All of these pencilled upon stone by
M. and N. Hanhart from the sketches taken from
nature, up the Baltic, by Mr. Dolby, the artist
sent thither with the fleets fa- that precise pur-
pose by the spirited publishing firm of Messrs.
Paul and Dominic Colnaghi, and with the
sanction, we believe, and under the express
patronage of the Lords Commissioners of the
Admiralty. Remembering the character of the
work, and the circumstances under which it
now makes it appearance before the public, We are
in no way surprised to find it notified upon the
title-page, that it is " Dedicated by permission to
her most gracious Majesty the Queen"—of itself a
guarantee that (coming as it does from the house
of the Messrs. Colnaghi) the utmost care will be
lavished upon the serial during the course of its
publication. It undertakes to display to the Bri-
tish public authentic pictures of "Incidents, Places,
and Costumes sketched in the Baltic," for the
amusement of the " Gentlemen of England who
live at home at ease," while their sons and bro-
thers are fighting in a holy cause under the
banners of their Sovereign, before the batteries of
Cronstadt, and ultimately, doubtless, before the
walls of St. Petersburg. Already we have said
that Part I. of this timely issue of prints illustra-
tive of scenes in the Baltic, comprises two of Cos-
tume, and three of Places, Incidents, and Character.
The " costume" pictures are presented to us side
by side upon a single sheet—one showing the
Danish costume, the other the Swedish costume :
one representing a Swedish girl of the Isle of Gott-
land, a pretty young maiden, not unworthy, one
Would conjecture, of being a countrywoman of
Jenny Lind, now Madame Goidschmidt; the other
Portraying a Danish family, near Kioge Bay, at
the south port of Seland. Another of these
capital sketches, drawn from nature, depicts
the interior of a "Swedish Cottage"—with a Naval-
officer from the Fleets, discussing the war with the
natives. Another affords a brilliant view, upon a
Sunday, of the " St. Anna's Plads," at Copen-
hagen. Under the shadow of the green trees, and
in the sunlight of the broad and noble street,
and in front of the handsome verandah and
Jalousied houses—throngs of the fashionable people
and mildle classes of that capital sauntering to
and fro like a,,y Loll-loners along Piccadilly or any
Parisians along the Boulevards. Another sketch,
and unfortunately the only remaining one
ul this fist part of the serial, yet to be
mentioned, will be regarded by the majority
as, of all, about the most acceptable. It repre-
sents " A Panic at Dinner Time," aboard of a
British man-of-war—a merry panic enough appa-
ently to the cry of "Halloo there ! you Lubbers
----there's a Rooshian in sight ! ! !" to the shrill
summons of the boatswain's whistle. The ani-
mated scramble depicted by the pencil of the artist
is sufficiently amusing, but we rather conjecture
that for the sake of " effect" he has somewhat ex-
aggerated the disturbance over the plates and
dishes, and the hurry-scurry of the burly Jacks
clustering about the port-holes. Making some
allowance, however, in this way, we cannot
but admire the skill with which Mr. Dolby has,
With a few skilful touches, " realised" the scene at
such a moment on the deck of an English war-
,vessel, with its display of hilarious pluck and good-
iturnoured excitement. These " Incidents, Places,
and Costumes sketched in the Baltic," will be
eagerly welcomed, we doubt not, as they deserve
to be, by not a few among the multitudes of our
home population.