William Daniell RA Engraving of John O’ Groats from A Voyage Round Great Britain”

William Daniell Ra (1769-1837) was an English landscape and marine painter and printmaker, notable for his work in aquatint. In 1813, he started work on his greatest achievement: a series of aquatints for A Voyage Round Great Britain which he published with his friend Ayton between 1814-25. There were 308 illustrations done for this work of which this, of John O’ Groats, Caithness, is one, dated 1821. Daniell was elected a member of the Royal Academy in 1822. Daniell always manages to make his scenes look peaceful and serene. John O’Groats is famously the most Northern settlement on the mainland of Scotland and subject to furious seas. This scene appears to be unusually tranquil! This image would make a nice pair with our other Daniell engraving of Fortrose, Rosshire which is on the Moray Firth, further south on the same coast.