Iron Forge between Dolgelli and Barmouth in Merioneth Shire, 1776 (aquatint on paper)

By Paul Sandby (1731-1809) view of iron forge with smoke billowing from chimney at centre, waterwheel in centre foreground. Published ‘according to Act of Parliament’ by Paul Sandby, St. Georges Row, London, 1 September 1776. Paul Sandby (1731-1809), an experienced watercolourist and etcher, returned to printmaking at the beginning of the 1770s following the development of the aquatint process. His enthusiasm for aquatinting was such that for a considerable period he did nothing else resulting in, amongst many other works, the publication of 24 views in Wales. This image comes from Twelve Views in North Wales [Views in Wales, Second set], pl. 6. These romantic views of North Wales did much to establish a tour of the country as a fashionable trip for Georgian seekers of the sublime. Sandby moved to 4 St George's Row, Bayswater in 1772; later known as 23 Hyde Park Place, the house was demolished in 1901