Welsh Costume: Rock & Co.

Rock and Co. (William Frederick Rock ,1801-1890)
During the 1850s, Rock and Co. published a series of 16 prints of Welsh costumes, 8 of which had bilingual titles. Most of the women in these are shown wearing very tall Welsh hats. The women represented were probably from farmers’ rather than labourers’ families, and most of the events depicted are special occasions – biddings, weddings and going to market. They were published in small cheap volumes, sometimes with poor prints of local views. The fact that some of these were bilingual suggests that they were not just for the English visitors’ market. There is no indication that they represent regional variations of the costume, but the backgrounds include recognisable buildings such as Caernarfon castle.

Many of the prints are signed with the monogram TO, the artist and publisher Thomas Onwhyn, (1811-1886).

Rock and Co.'s publications which contain Welsh costume prints include:
Rock Brothers and Payne, The Queen's Album of Welsh Costume, [c.1860]
Rock and Co., Views of Aberystwith [including prints of Welsh costume] London, 1869
Rock and Co., The Royal Cabinet Album – Welsh Costumes [n.d]

Published by Rock, Brothers and Payne, London
Sketches of Welsh Costume

Rock and Co’s numbered series, mostly dated 1.5.1853
1 Edward Morgan
2 [Jenny Jones, Jenny Jones 20.5.1860]
3 Welsh Fisherman with the coracle (a print also dated 5.6.1860)
4 Welsh Peasantry (a print also dated 5.6.1860)
5 Priodas yn Nghymru, Returning from the wedding
6 Gwisgo Bedd a Blodau, Dressing the grave with flowers
7 Market Day, Wales / Market Day Glamorganshire
8 Gwisgiadaw Cymreig - Mode of Carrying infants
9 Hymn Singing. Welsh Chapels
10 Gwisgiadau Cymreig - Return from Market, Gower, Glamorgan
11 [Coracles]
12 Neithior yn Nghymru - A Bidding in Wales
13 Ffair Cyflofi yn Nghymru - or Hiring Fair
14 Gwisgiadau Cymreig - Hoods & cloaks, Cardigan
15 Welsh Fishwomen, Llangwn, Pembrokeshire [Not bilingual]
16 Priodas yn Nghymru, A Wedding in Wales

No number [possibly not Rock and Co.]
High Street Cardigan
Market, Carmarthen
Tenby Market

Other publications:
Rock and Co., Tourists in Wales and Pencillings in the Principalities by a Pedestrian Artist, Published by Rock and Co, London,
Consists a series of vignettes by Thomas Onwhyn, c 1860

For more on Rock and Co., see https://welshhat.wordpress.com/images/prints/rock-and-co/ ‎