Hand Colored Engraving by T. Allom: View of Waterfall At Han-tseuen

Just a thin waterfall slips down a dark cliff while a crowd gathers on the grass below

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. Brushed with color, a view of a craggy rock face split by a white cascade, with small figures and animals scattered on a green slope and a pale building in the valley behind. It is 10.5 inches wide and 7.8 high.

The cascade performs and the audience stays remarkably loyal.