The Herdsman's Cottage or Sunset
Etching on a steel plate, 1850, Lister 2 (ii/II) 4 7/8 x 4 5/8 in. Initialed in the plate, lower left. This is a fine, luminous impression with wide margins from one of the published editions. The condition is fine other then for a soft small handling crease below the platemark, center. In this the final state, the etching was published three times; the Portfolio (1872), Examples of Modern Etching (1875)by Hamerton, and Etchers and Etching (1880), also by Hamerton. This impression is from one of these published editions.
$900

The Skylark
Etching, 1850, Lister 2 (vii/VIII), edition unknown. 4 5/8 x 3 7/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left, below the image. This is a fine impression on chine appliqué as published as plate 17 in Etchings of the Art Union of London by the Etching Club (1857). The margins are wide with the sheet size being 13 x 9 3/4 in. The condition is very good apart from a few spots of foxing here and there in the margins. "Palmer referred to this work as 'Dawn' until it was published in 1857, and it is this time of day, as the sun rises to illuminate the landscape and the skylark above, in which his sense of a re-awakened vision may be felt. It is a work both small in scale but intense in detail, showing great technical skill." (See page 12 of Samuel Palmer, His Friends and Followers," by Gordon Cooke and the Fine Art Society, London, 2012.)
SOLD

The Weary Ploughman
Etching, Begun in 1858, Lister 8 (viii?/VIII), edition unknown. 5 3/16 x 7 15/16 in. Unsigned. This is a fine, luminous impression printed on chine applique. The sheet has been trimmed within the exceptionally wide platemark but there still remains about 3/4 in. around the image. The condition is fine otherwise. The eighth and final state was published by the Etching Club in 1865 and bears the number "4" just below the image at center. This impression does not have the number so it's possibly a proof before publication. The various states of this print, along with other Palmer etchings, are difficult to sort out. The Weary Ploughman is a stellar example of Palmer's work in the etching medium and he worked intensely on this plate for about six weeks. The plate was cancelled during Palmer's lifetime in about 1875.
$2,750