Chelsea House Working with Library of Virginia on Artwork

May 21, 2008  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Accessories on May 2008 Chelsea House has teamed with the Library of Virginia to offer artwork reproduced from the library’s archives.

The artwork includes prints of original maps and Chinese engravings housed at the Library of Virginia. The Library of Virginia is the state’s oldest institution dedicated to the preservation of Virginia’s history and culture. The library was created by the state’s General Assembly in 1823 to organize, care for and manage Virginia’s growing collection of books and official records, many of which date back to the early colonial period.

“We are so pleased and honored to be associated with the Library of Virginia,” said Bill Cain, president of Chelsea House. “The reproductions are beautiful and even more special when you realize the rich history behind each piece.”

The Library houses the most comprehensive collection of materials on Virginia government, history and culture. The printed, manuscript, map and photographic collections attract researchers from across the country and from all over the world.

Included in the collection is a series of eight Chinese engravings that are part of a work entitled An Authentic Account of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to China that was published in 1797 in three volumes by George Staunton. His work records a voyage that was among the most celebrated and significant events of the late eighteenth-century. The voyage set out for China in 1792 and remained there for one year after several stops along the way. The purpose of the voyage was to warm relations between China and England and to benefit the East India Trading Co. The famed English artist William Alexander, who accompanied the men on their journey, did the engravings.

Chelsea House is offering prints of these engravings, along with reproductions of maps that are hundreds of years old. Chelsea House and The Library of Virginia plan to expand their collaboration not only in art but in other home furnishings categories as well.