Head of West Bow, Lawn Market. 1848.

This original antique steel etching depicts the Head of West Bow at the Lawnmarket — one of the most iconic and atmospheric corners of Edinburgh’s Old Town — drawn by Sir Daniel Wilson and etched by T. Steuart for his landmark work Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time, published in 1848.

The Head of West Bow marked the point where the winding medieval thoroughfare of the West Bow met the broad expanse of the Lawnmarket at the top of the Royal Mile, and was one of the most distinctive and characterful junctions in the entire Old Town.

The street was lined with ancient timber-fronted tenements of extraordinary antiquity, many of which dated back to the 16th and 17th centuries, and the junction itself was a hub of daily life in the heart of Edinburgh for generations.

By the 1840s, the construction of Victoria Street was already beginning to transform the lower reaches of the West Bow, and Wilson’s view from the head of the street captures its ancient character at precisely the moment it was beginning to change forever.

Note that this print is described in the subscript as an etching rather than an engraving — a distinction that reflects a different printmaking technique producing characteristically fine, expressive lines. The print is on a thin paper which has been adhered to a thicker paper for publication.

Subscript: Lower Left: Drawn by D. Wilson. Lower Right: Etched by T. Steuart.

Author: Sir Daniel Wilson, F. R. S. S. A. (1816–1892)

Publication: Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time. By Daniel Wilson, F. S. S. A. Acting Secretary to the Society of the Antiquaries of Scotland.

Volume: 1

Publisher: Hugh Paton / Simpkin, Marshall, & Co.

Place of Publication: Adam Square, Edinburgh / London

Date: 1848

Artist: Sir Daniel Wilson, F. R. S. S. A. (1816–1892)

Engraver: T. Steuart

Page Number: Between pages 182–183

Paper Dimensions: 12 x 9 ⅜ inches

Medium: Steel Etching

Language: English

Coloured: Black and white

Condition: The print is in great condition with some wear across the print and around the edges, particularly on the right side where the page has been removed from the book, as can be seen. The print is on a thin paper which has been adhered to a thicker paper for publication, as can be seen.

Reference: Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time, HathiTrust Digital Library