44. Ferguson, James.
THE / ART / OF / DRAWING IN PERSPECTIVE / MADE EASY
/ To those who have no previous Knowledge of / the Mathematics. /
By JAMES FERGUSON, F.R.S. / Illustrated with Plates. / LONDON:
/ Printed for W. Strahan; and T. Cadell in the Strand. /
M DCC LXXV.
8vo. Half title ([i]); title page ([iii]); preface ([v]-xii); text ([1]-123);
list of Ferguson's books (1 unnumbered p.); 9 engraved plates, all folding,
inserted.
Ferguson drew all the plates. They were engraved by J. Lodge (d.
1796), who worked in London.
James Ferguson (1710-76) was born in Banffshire, the son of a day
laborer. His formal education was gained at Keith Grammar School, but
he was put to service as a shepherd and in various other menial positions.
He was always studying, however, especially astronomy and painting. In
1743 he went to London where he supported himself by painting but continued
working with astronomy and soon (1746) began scientific, chiefly
astronomical, writing. He gave popular lectures about astronomy, was
presented to the future George III in 1758, stopped portrait painting in
1760, and was elected F.R.S. in 1763. He often advised George III on mechanics
and was considered one of the first elementary writers on natural
philosophy.
He published many books, among them the titles Astronomy Explained
upon Sir Isaac Newton's Principles, and Made Easy to Those
Who Have Not Studied Mathematics; An Easy Introduction to Astronomy,
for Young Gentlemen and Ladies; Tables and Tracts Relative to
Several Arts and Sciences; An Introduction to Electricity; Lectures on
Select Subjects in Mechanics, Hydrostatics, Pneumatics, and Optics,
with the Use of the Globes, the Art of Dialling, and the Calculation of
the Mean Times of the New and Full Moons and Eclipses; and
Select
Mechanical Exercises, Shewing How to Construct Different Clocks, Orreries,
and Sun Dials, on Plain and Easy Principles.
The Art of Drawing in Perspective was first published in 1775 and
went through five editions. At the time of writing Ferguson described
himself as being in an "infirm state of health, a situation that is very apt
to affect the mental faculties."
Ferguson says in his preface:
I need not observe how requisite it is for painters who put groupes [sic]
of figures together, but also for those who draw landscapes, or figures of machines
and engines for books, to know the rules of Perspective. [Pp. vi-vii]
I am far from considering the following Work as a complete system of
Perspective, for that would require a very large volume. But I think I may
venture to say, that, when the learner is fully master of what is there contained,
he will not find any great difficulty in proceding to what length he
pleases in the attainment of this science, without any further assistence.
[Pp. x-xi]
It is very probable, that those who already understand Perspective, if
they take the trouble of reading this small Treatise, may think I have been
rather verbose in most of my descriptions. I only request of such to consider,
that I never wrote any thing for those who are well skilled in the few branches
of science whereof I have treated; but only for those who wish to attain a moderate
knowledge of them; and to such, I think, everything ought to be made
as plain and easy, and be as minutely described, as is possible. [Pp. xi-xii]
The evidence that a copy of this work belonged to Jefferson is in
the manuscript library catalogue now at the Massachusetts Historical
Society. The book was apparently not sold to Congress and does not appear
in the 1829 sale catalogue. It would appear that the copy in Jefferson's
library was the London, 1775 edition.
Jefferson did not order it for the University. The library's present
copy has been recently acquired, the gift of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Foundation.
M
*NC749.F5.1775
![illustration](https://iiif.lib.virginia.edu/iiif/uva-lib:179606/full/!1600,1600/0/default.jpg")
