Author Description

"In Eye Witness, Sam Smiles examines the role of graphic arts in recording information about aspects of the social or material world. He discusses the claims of some artists and publishers of this period that their images offered a form of knowledge equal, or even superior to, written descriptions. A variety of projects are considered, ranging from medical and antiquarian texts, to costume studies and investigations of contemporary labour. Individual books are discussed in the light of the publisher's declared intentions and the contemporary critical reception. Sam Smiles also investigates the distinctions drawn between illustration and other forms of artistic production, with special consideration given to the work of J.M.W. Turner."--Jacket.