‘Blenheim’ in F. O. Morris, Series of Picturesque Views of Seats of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland. London: William Mackenzie, 1880. S474.b.88.7

Colour printing was arguably the most significant innovation in the depiction of Brown’s landscapes. Although hand-coloured prints had been widely available since the mid eighteenth century, they were laborious to produce, inconsistent in quality, and expensive to purchase. By the 1880s, printed coloured views were available for every level of the market. Although traditional in format, Morris’s Series of Picturesque Views exploited the attractions of colour printing to dramatic effect. Blenheim was one of Brown’s most ambitious projects and has featured regularly in tourist handbooks from the late eighteenth century to the present day.