Scotland 1801, courtesy of Mr. Dibdin's 'Observations on a Tour...'

The picture above is of Gretna Green. It's not a scene we recognize or expect when we hear the name of that Scottish town.

The picture--an engraving of an original painting--comes from a book titled, "Observations on a Tour Through almost the Whole of England, and a Considerable Part of Scotland..." by Mr. Dibdin. The author, Mr. C. Dibdin, is likely Charles Dibdin, a musician, dramatist, novelist, and more, who lived 1745-1814. It could be that the book was written and illustrated by his son, Charles the Younger; their work is frequently confused. The vignettes that accompanied the work (examples below) were 'invented, drawn, and put on the copper' by Miss Dibdin. Both Charles the Elder and the Younger were possessed of daughters. I can find no information about her.

Vignette by Miss Dibdin titled 'Scotch Preaching'

The book is a fascinating one, showing a series of tranquil, almost soporific, scenes across the northern and eastern parts of England and the south of Scotland. I have chosen to illustrate the Scottish pictures as the engravings show the beauty of that powerful and memorable landscape in unfamiliar ways.

Loch Lomond from Belretiro [villa]

Approach to Edinburgh

Edinburgh from Kinghorn [across the Firth of Forth]

Loch Leven [west coast of Scotland]

The Lomonds [Trossach Mountains]

There are more wonderful pictures--the 'Carse of Gowry','Nearer to Dundee', 'Castle of Gloom', but we'll end with another of Miss Dibdin's vignettes, this one called simply 'Scotch Family'.

Another time I will post some of the pictures of England from the book; the vignettes you will see from time to time on my Facebook and my Tumblr. They are wonderful little scenes of Regency life. Mr. Dibdin's book, in two volumes, is available for download from Google Books. Enjoy!

'Til next time,

Lesley-Anne