WE offer, as will be seen by our Prospectus, to each subscriber to
the KNICKERBOCKER for 1861, as a premium, the choice of the two
very fine Steel-plate Engravings, 'ROBERT BURNS IN HIS COTTAGE
COMPOSING THE COTTER'S SATURDAY NIGHT,' and the 'MERRY-MAKING IN
THE OLDEN TIME.' The first of these pictures--BURNS--has been
engraved by the distinguished American artist, JOHN C. MCRAE, after
the celebrated painting by Sir WILLIAM ALLAN: and represents BURNS
in his humble home, clad in the homely garb in which he was wont
to tread the fields, his dog at his feet and his pen in his hand,
musing seriously over those immortal utterances that found vent in
the exquisite lyric above named. The portrait is perfect, and the
picture executed in the highest style of art. Its size is sixteen by
twenty-one inches; and its publication price is two dollars.
The other engraving we offer as a premium, the 'MERRY-MAKING,' is
a perfect copy of FRITH'S celebrated picture, and was engraved at
an expense of two thousand dollars. It measures twenty-five by
nineteen and a half inches in size, contains thirty-nine figures,
and is, beyond comparison, the finest work of the kind ever offered
as a premium in this country. The following description of it is
furnished us by WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT, Esq.:
'ALMOST in the centre of the picture and a little in the
back-ground, is a country-dance on the green, with a
hard-featured fiddler perched on a high seat, and another
musician in a tie-wig standing by him, playing with all their
might. On the right, two bouncing girls are gaily pulling toward
the dance a gray-haired man, who seems vainly to remonstrate
that his 'dancing days are over,' while a waggish little chit
pushes him forward from behind, greatly to the amusement of his
spouse, who is still sitting at the tea-table, from which he has
been dragged. On the left, under a magnificent spreading oak,
sit the 'Squire and his wife, whom a countryman with his hat
off is respectfully inviting to take part in the dance. To the
left of the 'Squire is a young couple on the grass, to whom a
gipsy, with an infant on her shoulder, is telling their fortune.
Over the shoulders of this couple is seen a group engaged in
quoit-playing, and back of the whole is a landscape of gentle
slopes and copses.'
No similar opportunity will be presented the public for obtaining
these very fine engravings.
Publisher's Notice.
THE Publisher invites contributions on subjects of immediate
National interest, Historical, Biographical, Descriptive,
Scientific, etc. Such articles, if written in a lively and
attractive manner, and embodying _new and useful information of
a practical character_, will always receive early and respectful
attention; and if used, will be suitably paid for.
Manuscripts, excepting short poems, if not accepted, will be
returned if accompanied by a sufficient number of stamps to pay the
postage.
* * * * *
Transcriber's note:
Minor typographical and punctuation errors have been corrected
without note. Irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have
been retained as printed.
Mismatched quotes are not fixed if it's not sufficiently clear where
the missing quote should be placed.
The cover for the eBook version of this book was created by the
transcriber and is placed in the public domain.