Kars, Turkey — engraving

"KARS".

Technique, Material:   Steel engraving / Paper
Artist: John Ramage,  Engraver: John Godfrey
Date, Publisher: "WILLIAM MACKENZIE, LONDON, EDINBURGH & GLASGOW", 1893.
Size: sheet 27x22, image 20x12.5 cm.

This engraving depicts the city of Kars, located in northeast Turkey, as it appeared in the late 19th century. The artist, J. Godfrey, has masterfully captured the dramatic landscape of this historic city, with its buildings perched atop a hill and majestic mountains rising in the background .

Kars was the site of a pivotal battle during the Crimean War (1853–1856). In 1855, the city became a battleground between Russian forces under General Nikolai Muraviev and Turkish troops under the British General William Fenwick Williams. The siege of Kars was one of the major campaigns on the Caucasian front, and General Williams' heroic defense became legendary in British military history, earning him the title "Williams of Kars". Although the city ultimately fell to the Russians in November 1855, the prolonged resistance had strategic importance in the broader context of the war.

This engraving comes from the monumental historical work "The Age We Live In: A History of the Nineteenth Century, from the Peace of 1815 to the Present Time" by James Taylor, published by William Mackenzie in London in 1893. This multi-volume illustrated history was designed to provide a comprehensive visual record of the 19th century's most significant events, places, and personalities. The publication was profusely illustrated with high-quality engravings by leading artists of the day, making history accessible and engaging for the Victorian reading public.

The engraving was executed by J. Godfrey, a British engraver active in the mid-to-late 19th century who contributed illustrations to numerous books and periodicals of the Victorian era. Godfrey specialized in topographical views and historical subjects, and his work for "The Age We Live In" represents the high standard of craftsmanship characteristic of 19th-century British book illustration.

This print is more than a mere topographical illustration; it is a piece of historical memory. Created for a major historical publication in the years following the Crimean War, it served to inform and remind the public of a significant campaign. The detailed rendering of Kars' dramatic hilltop setting reflects the intense military and public interest in the geography of the Crimean conflict. Today, such prints are valued by collectors as both works of art and important visual documents of 19th-century history.