Featured 4 Small Antique Prints?

I purchased these 4 small prints yesterday and can't find out anything about them. I think they are some type of plate prints but I'm not sure of what type. All 4 have a small printer marks or hallmarks below the lower left corner of the prints.

The prints need to be re-framed with acid free backings, etc... but that's another issue. There are 2 prints with titles, "The Courtyard of the Old New Inn at Glouchester" but I can't read who it's by and the other is "Swarthmoor Hall" by Alfred Rawlings, I think that's what the name is.

The 4 prints measures between 5 1/2" to 6" in visible width and about 3 3/4" to 4 1/2" in visible height within the matting. All 4 prints have the same style frame.

Does anyone know what type of prints these are, when they may have been made, who the printers mark is or anything else about the prints?

Thanks!
Kevin

 

Yes... Alfred Rawlings... painted from @1880 to 1920s, worked on Giclee and other media. I think his work is wonderful. His portraits (which is what I was familiar with) were beautiful. Also was an illustrator. I couldn't find any paintings currently up for sale, OR prints. So I don't know what value might be, but I'll keep looking.

Footnote that confirms he did the "Swarthmoor".
http://library.haverford.edu/file-id-1021

EDIT
That's all I turned up, but here is a cool modern photo of similar view to your Courtyard.

 

The little maker's mark looks like a Fleur de Lis or the Prince of Wales - 3 ostrich feathers symbol. That's all I've got without looking it up.

 

Thanks GaleriaGila for all the information. I did see the reference to Swarthmoor but could not find any of his work on that subject. The print I have is the only such work I could find.

Do you know what type of print it is? I also did see some courtyard photo's it's amazing how similar it is after all this time. I also could not find a print like mine of the Courtyard print.

Thanks Laura, I'm going to start looking around for the makers mark based on your suggestions.

 

The photos aren't sharp enough to tell what kind of print they might be. It will take a clear, crisp, very close-up photo for someone here to voice an opinion.

Look with a good magnifying glass for a regular pattern of dots. If you see one, they are photomechanical reproductions.

That Inn at Gloucester is a popular image. I had a colored etching of it by a guy named Alphege Brewer.

 

Thanks moreotherstuff! There are no dots in the image (I checked with a loop before I purchased them) and there is a clear plate line around the images. Here's another image I took yesterday, it may not be good enough. I'll get a better closeup image.

 

OK, I've taken some more images that are close ups. The prints have foxing so it's not a bright white and color clear image. The 1st and 9th images show the clear plate mark lines. As I'm sure most of you already know you can click the image to make it larger if you want to see more detail, some of them are fairly large images. Thanks! Kevin

 

I can't tell. If they are intaglio prints, I would look to mezzotint. Otherwise, some lithographic process would be my guess.

 

Ok, thanks moreotherstuff. I'm going to take off the back of 1 of the prints, it has about 18 nails in it which seems like a lot for such a small frame. Perhaps I can get a better picture without the glass over the image.

 

Wow, there was an old newspaper from October 22, 1926, "The Montreal Daily Star" behind the print with some neat ads for the Oh Henry candy bar and Victrola. There was also some writing on the back of the print from whoever framed it about the frame sizing for 2 prints. I took 1 picture with a needle on the print to try and put the image size or print into perspective. I'm gonna have to open the backs of the other 3 prints now and see what's in them!

 

the guy in the newspaper is holding a Thompson Sub Machine Gun....

We must have had some pretty rough crooks here in the roaring twenties !!!!

 

Can't add anything to the discussion, but just wanted to say, thanks for photographing the newspapers that were inside. How interesting!

 

From that close-up with the pin: aquatint is a possibility. I've just been looking at an aquatint and the texture is similar. Don't have a really good image of my own to show.

***************
Here's the print I've been looking at. I believe it's an aquatint.


And here's a detail (which is about the best I think I'm going to get from my camera):

 

Opening the backs of the frames of these prints is like opening a time capsule. Your welcome Lucille, I agree they are interesting newspapers.

moreotherstuff, thanks for looking into these prints. I just opened the frame back of the second print. Below is an image of it but I'm not sure if another close up it will help. The plate mark impression can be clearly seen in the paper on this one, I removed it from the matt and placed just the print on the newspaper. There was another newspaper used as backing behind the print. I'll take some photo's of the newspaper, I find it very interesting. Thanks, Kevin.

 

Here's some photo's of the newspaper in case anyone's interested.

 

LOVE THOSE NEWSPAPERS!
Wasn't Valentino dreamy???
And Cantor "convulsed and dazzled" audiences!
And ads for vaudeville shows...
Thanks, that was fun.

 

While I love the 2nd print......the newspapers showing Montreal in all it's glory in the mid 20's is a real treat !!

 

Come to think of it........as a major city....we still ROCK !!!!

 

Thanks moreotherstuff for posting your images up, I think you're right with believing it's an aquatint. The dark area in the closeup you've taken of your print looks a lot like the dark area with the pin I posted but your image picture is much better and clearer.

Thanks GaleriaGila and komokwa! Although, I must add Valentino was not dreamy to me! I would have never guessed that Montreal was such a swinging place in the 20's!

 

Hi Gila,
Here is the best photo of Valentino I could find for you.