{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O901651"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O901651/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2026PU2721/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2026PU2721/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2026PU2721","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O901651/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O901651","accessionNumber":"E.332-1899","objectType":"Print","titles":[{"title":"Intense & searching students of Nature","type":"assigned by artist"},{"title":"A Sketch-Book of R. Caldecott's","type":"published title"}],"summaryDescription":"Randolph Caldecott (1846 – 86) was an illustrator and artist best known for his children’s picture books. A Sketchbook of R. Caldecott’s was a collection of Caldecott’s previously unpublished drawings, published in 1880 by George Routledge & Sons. The engraver and printer Edmund Evans, who worked with Caldecott on this and other titles, regarded it as one of Caldecott's few unsuccessful books. Whilst Evans 'could never understand' the reason, some suggest it is because the book did not have a clear audience; the illustrations are similar in style to his children's books but contain satire which might be beyond a child's comprehension.\r\n\r\nThis illustration depicts artists studying from an improvised figure, made of clothing and a chair. The costume is likely intended to reference the clothing of Kate Greenaway's characters. Greenaway and Caldecott were born only days apart, and were both colleagues and rivals. As a whole, the book is themed around the seasons, with full colour illustrations and a few lines of poetry preceding each section. Amongst scenes depicting seasonal activities, the sections also each include men enjoying one of four culinary 'seasons': pepper, mustard, salt and vinegar. The entire book encapsulates Caldecott's unique sense of humour, with an inscription on the reverse of the title page reading 'Dedicated to everybody - but copyright reserved RC'. This is the final page, with the man skating bowing 'goodbye' to the rest of the book.","physicalDescription":"Proof print of an illustration depicting three figures sketching clothes propped up on a chair to resemble a figure. In the background, another bearded figure rushes over, bearing a resemblence to Caldecott, potentially a self portrait. The print has brown linework, and is a reproduction of an ink drawing.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Caldecott, Randolph","id":"A7562"},"association":{"text":"after","id":"THES283471"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"Edmund Evans Ltd.","id":"A16965"},"association":{"text":"print-makers","id":"AAT25164"},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"paper (fiber product)","id":"AAT14109"},{"text":"printing ink","id":"AAT187371"}],"techniques":[{"text":"wood engraving","id":"AAT53303"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Wood engraving in brown printing ink on paper","categories":[{"text":"Prints","id":"THES48903"},{"text":"Illustration","id":"THES48938"},{"text":"Cartoons and caricatures","id":"THES48983"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2026PU2721"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLE","id":"THES49657"},"free":"","case":"I","shelf":"144","box":"A"}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"print","id":"AAT41273"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"printed","id":"x46159"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1883","earliest":"1883-01-01","latest":"1883-12-31"},"association":{"text":"printed","id":"x46159"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"131","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"197","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'Intense & searching students of Nature'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Title under the illustration, as part of the print."}],"objectHistory":"Purchased from Mrs Marian Caldecott in 1899, alongside several other drawings (object numbers D.1 to 6-1899) and proofs (object numbers E.17 to 354-1899).","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"'Intense & seaching students of Nature', wood engraving proof in brown ink, by Edmund Evans Ltd., after a drawing by Randolph Caldecott for <i>A Sketch-Book of R. Caldecott's</i>, by Randolph Caldecott, London, published 1883","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"Proof","id":"THES48870"},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Caldecott, Randolph","id":"A7562"}],"associatedPerson":[{"text":"Caldecott, Randolph (Mrs)","id":"C4212"}],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["E.332-1899"],"accessionNumberNum":"332","accessionNumberPrefix":"E","accessionYear":1899,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-10-28","recordCreationDate":"2009-06-30","availableToBook":false}}