Old Cottages
1806
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
About the artist
1806
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Old Cottages is a 1806 ink by William Henry Pyne, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This print shows three old, crumbling stone cottages along a dirt path, one with a sagging roof. The buildings look rough but full of quiet character—one doorway leans crooked, another window slants off-kilter. Sunlight warms the walls but can’t hide the cracks. Lithography was still new in 1806, so Pyne used it to capture fine textures in the rough stone and weathered wood. This method let him print many copies fast, which was rare back then. Look up lithography next if you want to see how this technique changed art.
