Air

Date1799

Publisher Joseph Read

MediumHand-colored line and stipple engraving

DimensionsOther (plate): 13 5/8 × 10 1/4in. (34.6 × 26cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1971-3323,3

DescriptionLower margin reads: "AIR / London Publish'd Jan.y 8, 1799, by Jos. Read Pall Mall."Label TextOne of a set of four prints of the elements. This print, representing air, depicts a woman seatted in a landscape, releasing a pet bird from a ribbon into the air. An empty of birdcage sits next to her.

For the rest of the set: 1971-3323, 1,2, & 4.ProvenanceBefore 1971, the Old Print Shop (New York, NY); 1971-present, purchased by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA).