Hand Colored Engraving by T. Allom: Pagoda & Village Scene Near Canton

Clearly a tiered tower and a clutch of boats share a still canal

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. Presented here, a hand-colored waterway with a slim tower at left, a cluster of buildings under large trees at right, and covered boats poling through the water. A pale, hazy sky spreads above. Captions print below. It is 10.5 inches wide and 7.7 high.

The boats glide, the tower watches, and nobody hurries.