Hand Colored Engraving by T. Allom: View of Silk Farms At Hoo-chen

Laden boats nose up to a waterside hall under big willow-like trees

This hand colored engraving is from London, England, United Kingdom, and is dated 1843. It is ink on paper. Thomas Allom, an architect and founding member of what became the Royal Institute of British Architects, illustrated books on China in the 1840s without ever making the trip there himself. Delicately tinted, a canal scene with a red-roofed building on a landing, tall rounded trees, a small arched bridge, and a tiered tower in the distance. Boats loaded with workers crowd the water. It is 10.5 inches wide and 7.8 high.

Busy landing, calm water, and a tower pretending not to look.