The Illustrated Breeds collection dates from the early 1880's, and contains works from the most highly regarded artists of the day, including Landseer, Wardle and Wright. Their artistry has been faithfully captured by the skills of the engravers, many of whom were household names of their times, such as Herbert Dicksee and Charles Tomkins.

All these engravings have been hand printed by highly skilled craftsmen using traditional methods and presses. The engravings are printed from the original plates, many of which are well over 100 years old. When the printer is satisfied with the quality of the engraving it is passed to a skilled artist who brings colour and life to the picture, using a traditional pallet of colours that was decreed by the original engraver.

This way the pictures maintain the vitality, atmosphere and careful attention to detail that they had when they were originally created a century ago.