ford madox brown - eTheses Repository - University of Birmingham

wheel of a tricycle-like object which does not appear to be related to the composition but
may be one of Brown's inventions.
Although this sheet of drawings appears to be dated 1865, this might be a case of Brown
mistakenly backdating his work as he had certainly begun the design by 1864, if not
before. Jane Butler suggests it may be a study for an illustration to Charles Wells drama
Joseph and his Brethren (1824), which Rossetti was keen to have published in the
1850s. 90
Cat. no. 70 Dalziels'
Bible Gallery: Joseph's Coat, 1863-1865
Engraved woodblock; 177 x 173 x 23 mm
Insc. engraved in reverse bl.: FMB
[monogram], bc.: Dalziel Sc
Insc. in black ink on reverse: Joseph's Coat/ Dalziel/ No 52 [label]/ BAM Loan J N Hart
Esq
No34 [label]
Insc. engraved on the side l.: WELLS/ INVENTOR, c.: 24 BOUVERIE STREET, r.:
LONDON
Exh.: Ford Madox Brown: The Unofficial Pre-Raphaelite (44)
Prov.: J N Hart
Acquired through the executors of J N Hart c.1965 (2006.1040.22)
As can be seen from this woodblock, in the final design Brown added a man on a ladder
in the background as a reference to Jacob's ladder. The name ‘Wells’ and the word
'INVENTOR' have been etched onto the side of the block. This refers to Charles Wells,
who manufactured wooden
printing blocks for engraving firms, notably the Dalziel
Brothers
and Joseph Swain. In 1850 Wells invented a system for bolting blocks together.
This allowed engravers to extend the size of the block, but also meant that they could be
taken apart and shared between different engravers to speed up production. 91 Swain
favoured this type of block. However, the Dalziel's preferred Wells to use more
traditional 'groove and tenon' joints when producing their printing blocks. This type of
joint involved making a groove on the two sides being joined together and inserting an
additional piece of wood inbetween. This gave the joint extra strength and the surface of
the wood could be polished to make it appear seamless. This particular woodblock is
made up of five separate blocks.
90
Janet Butler ‘A Pre-Raphaelite Shibboleth:
Joseph,’ The Journal of Pre-Raphaelite Studies, Nov. 1982,
vol. 3, no.
1, p. 82.
91
Op. cit. at note 34, p. 201.
237