Images of Oxford, 1191-1759
Creators: name: Hawkins, John Walter
Publisher: name: unknown
Year: 2018

description: The foundation of this research is the assembly and analysis of a corpus of over 500 images of Oxford
produced between 1191 and 1759, affirming Joseph Skelton's claim that 'Perhaps no place in England
can boast such a succession of delineations of itself, from an early period, as Oxford.'
Structured analysis at an individual level permits outstanding questions on attribution and authorship to be addressed. At an aggregate level, several conclusions can be drawn. Oxford's persistent iconic self-image – its walls, spires and towers – was already established by 1191. The flood of images appearing from 1675 was not the result of the antiquarian or any other movement, but the serendipitous presence in Oxford of two men, John Fell and David Loggan. It is argued that Oxonia Illustrata was not simply a suite of images to accompany Anthony Wood's Historia et antiquitates, but conceived as an emulation of Dutch 'praise and description' books, with which Loggan would have been familiar. His successors as University Engravers – Michael Burghers, George Vertue and John Green – also made notable contributions. From the early 1700s, many prints were designed to seek funding or approval for building projects, or to celebrate completion. Rare early states of such prints can provide information on the development of designs supplementing better known original architectural drawings. Only after 1690, with Loggan's Cantabrigia Illustrata, and 1720, with Strype's edition of Stow's Survey of London, did any other British city begin to compete with Oxford as to the quality and quantity of prints produced. From the 1750s, the rather severe style of Loggan and his immediate successors began to be replaced by the more naturalistic style adopted by John Donowell, presaging the advent of the Picturesque. This corpus of images can supplement textual resources in supporting more general historical research.
description: The foundation of this research is the assembly and analysis of a corpus of over 500 images of Oxford produced between 1191 and 1759, affirming Joseph Skelton's claim that 'Perhaps no place in England can boast such a succession of delineations of itself, from an early period, as Oxford.' Structured analysis at an individual level permits outstanding questions on attribution and authorship to be addressed. At an aggregate level, several conclusions can be drawn. Oxford's persistent iconic self-image – its walls, spires and towers – was already established by 1191. The flood of images appearing from 1675 was not the result of the antiquarian or any other movement, but the serendipitous presence in Oxford of two men, John Fell and David Loggan. It is argued that Oxonia Illustrata was not simply a suite of images to accompany Anthony Wood's Historia et antiquitates, but conceived as an emulation of Dutch 'praise and description' books, with which Loggan would have been familiar. His successors as University Engravers – Michael Burghers, George Vertue and John Green – also made notable contributions. From the early 1700s, many prints were designed to seek funding or approval for building projects, or to celebrate completion. Rare early states of such prints can provide information on the development of designs supplementing better known original architectural drawings. Only after 1690, with Loggan's Cantabrigia Illustrata, and 1720, with Strype's edition of Stow's Survey of London, did any other British city begin to compete with Oxford as to the quality and quantity of prints produced. From the 1750s, the rather severe style of Loggan and his immediate successors began to be replaced by the more naturalistic style adopted by John Donowell, presaging the advent of the Picturesque. This corpus of images can supplement textual resources in supporting more general historical research.