Isabella Making Her Escape From the Castle: from "The Castle of Otranto" (Scene 1 of 14) by Random & Stainbank
Isabella Making Her Escape From the Castle: from "The Castle of Otranto" (Scene 1 of 14)
Random & Stainbank
Isabella Making Her Escape From the Castle: from "The Castle of Otranto" (Scene 1 of 14)
Original 18th- and 19th-century paper transparencies published by Random & Stainbank are exceptionally rare on the market today. Because they were explicitly handled and placed near candles inside peepshow boxes, very few have survived outside of major museum archives.
This The "transparency" technique was popular in the late 18th century. A mezzotint was transferred to a varnished piece of paper or silk and was colored on the verso. A cheesecloth was added to the margins to make them rigid. The work was then candle-lit from the verso, producing a luminous image.
The Castle of Otranto was a series of 14 hand-colored paper transparencies illustrating Horace Walpole's novel of the same name. The transparencies were created for a peepshow box, printed and published by Random & Stainbank on Old Bond Street, London. An impression of this is included in the British Museum, accession no. 2010.7081.7636
The publishing firm of Random and Stainbank had an unusual history. It's principal, born Charles Random, took on the name 'Augustus Charles Random de Berenger' (1772-1843). He has a sketchy biography, also from the British Museum: "The history of the firm carries a bizarre historical twist involving its namesake partner, "Random". Born plain Charles Random, he later married a Prussian baroness and began calling himself Augustus Charles Random de Berenger. After working as a print colorist and seller, de Berenger left the trade and eventually became an infamous fraudster. In 1814, he masterminded the notorious Great Stock Exchange Fraud, disguising himself as a military officer ("Colonel de Bourg") to spread a false rumor that Napoleon had been killed. The hoax caused a massive spike in government bond prices, allowing him and his co-conspirators to make a fortune before the fraud was uncovered".
His "partner" in the Transparency business, known here only as "Stainbank," cannot be located through any of our reference books or internet searches, other than the firm.