A Walker Woodcut Print

Cookham "The Street."

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Frederick Walkers talents were quite numerous. As mentioned earlier he did drawings on wood for carvers to make their printing blocks for various periodicals and newspapers of the day. One such weekly paper that was available in Cookham was called “Chatterbox”, which could be bought for the princely sum of one half penny per week. The work that is shown above here is sometimes referred to as “The Street.” As it portrays Cookham Village High Street, at other times as “The Goose Girl.” Either driving the geese home to Oveys Farm, or to “The Moor” or to Odney Common.

One has also to remember that the artist had to draw all their pictures in mirror image, so that when the block is printed on to the paper it would be seen the right way round. What is so easy for people to do perform today was a very long and involved process in the middle 1800’s.

Frederick Walker woodcut prints were very much sought after. To use a Stanley Spencer term, they were his "Pot Boilers." At least he always had plenty of work.