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"In the late eighteenth century, it became fashionable to visit wilder parts of Britain, particularly the Wye Valley because of its renowned scenic qualities. Tintern Abbey, then swathed in ivy, was visited by many famous individuals in search of the romantic and the picturesque, including J.M.W. Turner and William Wordsworth. Mr. A. Cooper was typical of these tourists and wrote ecstatically upon his first sighting of the ruins of the Abbey in his illustrated account: "The pointed remains ... now rose upon the sight, and excited a sensation which I know not how to describe -- A sensation compounded of surprise, admiration, and enthusiasm. Never did I behold so majestic a piece of ruins, or one so calculated to affect the mind of the spectator." He is also impressed by the sight of Bishop's Wood, a "novel, and very delightful scene." "A. Cooper," the name that appears at the foot of the manuscript title page, has not yet been identified. Some evidence of his identity is provided in the second paragraph: "Our party consisted of Mr. Howman, Mr. Dryer, Mr. Lovich Cooper, my father, Mr. Cooper & myself. It is tempting to ascribe the manuscript to the Irish antiquary Austin Cooper (1759-1831), who recorded Ireland's ancient buildings and picturesque sites in numerous albums and loose drawings, now at the National Library of Ireland. There is, however, no evidence that Cooper made the journey to Monmouthshire in May of 1786, two months before he got married in Dublin." -- Elisabeth Fairman. Paul Mellon's Legacy: a Passion for British Art: Masterpieces from the Yale Center for British Art, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, CT, 2007, p. 307, no. 140, N5220.M552 P38 2007+ OVERSIZE (YCBA)