| Method | Woodcut |
| Artist | Sydney G. Hall |
| Published | June 27, 1885 |
| Dimensions | Image 506 x 303 mm |
| Notes |
A woodcut illustration of the choristers of Magdalen College celebrating Oxford May Morn, printed as a Supplement to The Graphic in 1885. The woodcut predates Holman Hunt's famous painting of the same scene. Along the right hand side of the scene, the choir sing from their hymn books, while the rising sun illuminates one of the turrets, and the fields and houses of Oxford below. A hymn printed below title reads: Awake my soul, and with the sun / Thy daily stage of duty run; / Shake off dull sloth, and early rise / To pay thy morning sacrifice. Accompanying text reads: "SUNRISE FROM MAGDALEN TOWER, OXFORD A CURIOUS custom prevails at Magdalen College on May Day. At about four o'clock in the morning the choir of the College, with the clerks, chaplains, and organist, ascend the great tower and there await the hour of sunrise. As the first beams are descried over Headington, the choir raise the strains of a hymn. The origin of the custom, which probably dates from the foundation of the College, is unknown, but a writer in the Globe recently remarked that it derives a special significance from the position of Magdalen, which is situated at the extreme eastern frontier of the University, on the very banks of the classic Cherwell, which bounds the academic city on that side. Moreover, the slender and graceful square tower of Waynflete's College stands several feet taller than any other in the town, so that the first rays of the sun can be seen thence some seconds before they would be visible from any other spot in Oxford." Sydney G. Hall (fl.1880s) was a prolific woodcut engraver, who worked predominantly for The Graphic. Condition: Horizontal fold as issued. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £250.00 |
| Stock ID | 39281 |