Couple sitting before an open chiollagh
Date made: late 19th century
Artist: Nicholson, John Miller
Description: A pencil sketch showing the interior of a typical single storey thatched Manx cottage, with a couple seated on a settle in front of a large 'chiollagh' (open hearth). The drawing also shows the 'slouree' hanging over the open turf fire and the ornaments on the large mantelpiece.
The sketch is signed in the bottom corner, 'JMN', by the Manx artist John Miller Nicholson. He has also written instructions for the printer, explaining how the drawing should be resized for commercial use.
John Miller Nicholson is best known for his paintings and drawings of Douglas harbour scenes and the Manx landscape, but he was also an important graphic designer until his death in 1913. He produced a variety of artwork for local commercial companies, including calendar designs, and he produced artwork for Manx cultural publications such as the 'Manx Notebook'. This design is one such illustration and provides an image of Manx domestic life and a record of a cottage interior that would have been difficult to capture photographically in the late nineteenth century.
Measurements: unframed artwork: 18 cm x 15 cm
Materials: pencil on paper
Object name: drawing
Collection: Art Collection
ID number: 1993-0241/1
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