Miniature 19th Century Graphite Studies of Three British Estates by E.T. Billhouse wood carving There is text in Japanese

There is text in Japanese on the the back

and is all the better for leaving us to imagine what it is this busy mouse is holding in its paws and furtively munching on

and great looking

which one would likely dispense using a little spoon  The wood on this lathe-turned piece is just gorgeous

I believe they are made of a combination of plaster and cement

Miniature 19th Century Graphite Studies of Three British Estates by E.T. Billhouse wood carving There is text in JapaneseIm getting really drawn into the world of 19th century English drawings, and am super charmed by these little miniature pencil drawings of three different estates done by a E. T. Billhouse in 1838. I especially love how there is lots of empty space around them, such that they feel like private little worlds unto themselves, secretly glimpsed through a scope from on far, then rendered under a magnifying glass. Really sweet. On wove (un ribbed) paper,