Alexander Ritchie Engraving 1853 Presented to the Albion Subscribers Mary Queen of Scots

Found this at thrift store. First noticed the antique wood slats on the back. Turned it around and seen it was an image of Mary Queen of Scots. On the bottom it states, Presented to the Albion Subscribers. Did some research and seen that Albion was a News Paper in New York during that time frame, same time frame Alexander Ritchie was a resident. Haven’t taken it out of the frame. Keeping it as is. I will load more close up images of the print. Had to crop do to file size. It has a tag from where it was sold at an auction house in SC. They can’t find it on the computer systems due to it being a piece from before they started using computers.

 

What is the size?

The staining on the back is probably from contact with acidic boards, which seem to be still present. If the staining shows from the front, it hurts the value, which was never great.

Sounds like a gift offer to encourage subscriptions. I can't tell what kind of print it is, but it would have been essentially mass market.

If you look up portraits of Mary Queen of Scots, you will probably find the source of this image.

 

I know where the image came from. It’s an engraving by Alexander Ritchie after Wandesford. Albion offered these premium engravings for an annual subscription of $6. The subscribers had their choice from 17 different engravings. So, with 17 engravings to choose from, there’s no telling how many of Mary Queen of Scots was chosen. Albion was the top choice to get these premium engravings, only through Albion, could you get them. I’ve only found a couple of these online. So if they were mass marketed, the survival rate is unknown. There could be hundreds floating around or possibly a hand full.

 

The staining is primarily on the back. The front just shows normal aging.

 

I haven’t measured it but seems to be around 18/24”.

 

I imagine that's larger than you would normally see in the publication. Large prints were occasionally offered by the illustrated papers and magazines of the time as promotional items.