Original hand coloured aquatint engraving. Published by Rudolph Ackermann for A History of Cambridge, 1814.
Ackermann; Rudolph. Established his print business in 1791. By 1797 the business had expanded into publishing books. As with the individual prints Ackermann chose to illustrate his books with uncoloured and hand coloured engraved aquatints. The process of creating a colour plate aquatint was labour intensive but the final result was an engraving that resembled a water colour. To achieve the desired quality, Ackermann employed a wide variety of talented artists and crafts men, including Thomas Rowlandson, Isaac Cruickshank, J C Stadler and Augustus Pugin. To create longevity into the business he established a school on the premises for gifted young artists.
Following his death the business continued into the late 19th century.
