When a Poor Man Came in Sight, Gathering Winter Fuel by Arthur J Gaskin

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This illustration for the popular Christmas carol Good King Wenceslas was used by Arthur J. Gaskin as his diploma work for the Royal Society of Painter Etchers and Engravers, to which he was elected Associate on 4th January 1927. The woodcut was originally produced as a book illustration in 1893, with the text "when a poor man came in sight, gathering winter fuel" in the space at the bottom.
There was a revival of interest in black and white book illustration in the 1890s, influenced in part by the private presses such as William Morris's Kelmscott Press. Although book illustration was not a specific part of the syllabus at Birmingham School of Art, it was typically practised by students in the 1890s and by 1891 Birmingham students predominated in the lists of prize-winners for book illustration in the national competitions. In 1893 the School of Art devoted an exhibition to examples of book illustration by students and Gaskin supervised the production of A Book of Pictured Carols with thirteen woodcut illustrations by students and staff of the School. In 1895 Gaskin published Good King Wenceslas with six illustrations including an alternative design of the gathering of wood.

Artist:	Arthur J Gaskin
Artwork type:	illustration
Material:	woodcut on paper tissue
Measurements:	88 x 125 mm
Technique:	woodcut
Date:	1927
Location:	BIAD School of Art Archive
Culture:	English
Rights owner:	The works of this artist are no longer covered by copyright.
Rights status:	The copyright of this digital image is owned by BIAD. We regret that this image is provided for reference only and reproductions cannot be supplied. For more information please contact the Keeper of Archives at BIAD
Institution:	Birmingham Institute of Art and Design
Notes:	The original design was created in 1893

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