Miniature Worlds: Little Landscapes from Thomas Bewick to Beatrix Potter is lovely exhibition at the Laing, focused on tailpieces and other small vignettes. The emphasis on landscapes in the title feels a tiny (hah) bit misleading as many of the vignettes are of people and animals, obviously including the Beatrix Potters, and some Tenniel Alice illustrations, and Blake’s Virgil woodcuts.

Thomas Bewick, a local artist, was entirely new to me – and a delightful discovery. His engravings are wonderfully made and seeing them up close is a treat, the exhibition provides a magnifying glass to get the full detail. But more than that they are charming, often with a bit of fun about them. The overall feel, the meticulousness of the art, and the fact that he used the pun “talepiece” for his tailpieces that told a little story put me to mind of fanart and illos, and a few of them reminded me of Pauline Baynes‘ Narnia illustrations.