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"Perhaps his best-known work is A cottage bedside at Osborne (1865; exh. Royal Scottish Academy, 1880), depicting Queen Victoria reading the Bible to a sick fisherman, which became very popular through the engraving by William Henry Simmons."--Oxford dictionary of national biography, 2004, s.v. Steell, Gourlay

A dying fisherman lying in bed is being consoled by Queen Victoria, seated by his side. Engraving by W.H. Simmons after G. Steell, ca. 1865.

An episode in the story 'The tapestried chair' by Mrs. S.C. Hall, in Forget me not, loc. cit. In the story, Edith works into a tapestry floral designs by Count Albert de Waldheim. She wishes to marry him, but her father forces her to marry Edward de Lacy. On the eve of her wedding (p. 356): "Unable any longer to assume a cheerfulness foreign to her heart, she requested leave to seclude herself in her own apartments till the dreaded hour. Her father granted the request, and a new stimulus was given to her pride by the absence of all effort on Albert's part to prevent its execution; but it was in the seclusion of her own room that she felt the extent of her wretchedness. Many were the efforts which she made to regain her composure; abandoning the care of her bridal attire to her women, she endeavoured to employ herself, but her favourite tapestry served only to remind her of him who had designed the patterns, and the materials fell from her hands as she sat motionless before her work.". The tapestry is subsequently incorporated into a chair (p. 359): "When you go into Yorkshire to visit your uncle, you will see a portrait of her, painted at her husband's desire, where she is sitting listlessly before the frame, and musing on the destiny which she then thought so miserable, and when she vainly sought to subdue that affection which formed the happiness of her after-life. I do not mean to say that such trials of a daughter's obedience are necessary, or even to be defended; but such were the manners of the times in which she lived, and she has always been handed down to her descendants as a beautiful proof of filial obedience, and which I never yet saw unattended by most of the other high virtues."

1 print : engraving ; image 10.8 x 8.8 cm

A young woman is sitting in a chair with a tapestry in a frame in front of her, trying to be distracted from the thought of her forced marriage. Engraving by W.H. Simmons, 1840, after J.H. Nixon.

The Sotheby's catalogue, loc. cit., gives the title as given in the Royal Academy catalogue as "Nearing home - some of our English land birds settling on the ship, told us we're nearly home", and also cites the Art journal, 1858 as follows: "The vessel is a home-bound steamer, on the deck of which lies a wounded officer, affectionately tended by his wife. His direction is directed to one of the birds, which is picking crumbs from a saucer". Sotheby's comments: "It seems likely that the female nurse in Luard's painting, although thought by the Art journal to represent the soldier's wife, is intended as a symbolic portrait of Nightingale or one of her nurses"

A wounded British officer returning from the Crimean War. Mezzotint by W.H. Simmons, 1863, after J.D. Luard, 1858.

Some of the reluctant and baulking horses are led by the horsemen, others are ridden

1 print : lithograph, with watercolour and gum arabic ; image 20.5 x 41.4 cm

Horsemen leading a large number of horses in a ring for sale at a horse fair. Coloured lithograph, 1871, by W. H. Simmons after R. Bonheur.

1 print : engraving ; image 10.6 x 8.2 cm

A young child and its mother sit together saying prayers. Engraving by W.H. Simmons after T.M. Joy.

1 print : etching, with engraving ; sheet 36.1 x 47.2 cm

Two hunting dogs attack a stag, in a mountainous landscape. Etching by W.H. Simmons after a painting by R. Ansdell, 1840/1860?

Represents lines in 'The school mistress" by William Shenstone: In every village mark'd with little spire, / Embower'd in trees, and hardly known to Fame, / There dwells in lowly shed, and mean attire, / A matron old, whom we School-mistress name; / Who boasts unruly brats with birch to tame; / They grieven sore, in piteous durance pent, / Aw'd by the power of this relentless dame; / And oft-times, on vagaries idly bent, / For unkempt hair, or task unconn'd, are sorely shent. …"

A woman school-teacher sitting on a chair with birches in her hand as a small boy stands in front of her and another child holding a book looks on. Engraving by W.H. Simmons after T. Webster.

The master's fishing equipment and a copy of Izaak Walton's "Complete [sic] angler" are on a table. On the wall is a barometer indicating "Stormy". The maid carrying a tray with soup and a medicine bottle knocks on the door. The medicine bottle is inscribed "To be take[n] at bedtim[e] Mr Gudge". The implication is that the master of the house has caught a cold while fishing, and perhaps that the maid is good for him to "take" in the bedroom

1 print : lithograph, with watercolour ; image, oval 32.5 x 26.8 cm

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A dying fisherman lying in bed is being consoled by Queen Victoria, seated by his side. Engraving by W.H. Simmons after G. Steell, ca. 1865.

A young woman is sitting in a chair with a tapestry in a frame in front of her, trying to be distracted from the thought of her forced marriage. Engraving by W.H. Simmons, 1840, after J.H. Nixon.

A wounded British officer returning from the Crimean War. Mezzotint by W.H. Simmons, 1863, after J.D. Luard, 1858.

Horsemen leading a large number of horses in a ring for sale at a horse fair. Coloured lithograph, 1871, by W. H. Simmons after R. Bonheur.

A young child and its mother sit together saying prayers. Engraving by W.H. Simmons after T.M. Joy.

Two hunting dogs attack a stag, in a mountainous landscape. Etching by W.H. Simmons after a painting by R. Ansdell, 1840/1860?

A woman school-teacher sitting on a chair with birches in her hand as a small boy stands in front of her and another child holding a book looks on. Engraving by W.H. Simmons after T. Webster.

A maid bringing medicine and soup to her master who has a cold. Lithograph, 1857, after W.H. Simmons after J. Collinson.

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A dying fisherman lying in bed is being consoled by Queen Victoria, seated by his side. Engraving by W.H. Simmons after G. Steell, ca. 1865.

A young woman is sitting in a chair with a tapestry in a frame in front of her, trying to be distracted from the thought of her forced marriage. Engraving by W.H. Simmons, 1840, after J.H. Nixon.

A wounded British officer returning from the Crimean War. Mezzotint by W.H. Simmons, 1863, after J.D. Luard, 1858.

Horsemen leading a large number of horses in a ring for sale at a horse fair. Coloured lithograph, 1871, by W. H. Simmons after R. Bonheur.

A young child and its mother sit together saying prayers. Engraving by W.H. Simmons after T.M. Joy.

Two hunting dogs attack a stag, in a mountainous landscape. Etching by W.H. Simmons after a painting by R. Ansdell, 1840/1860?

A woman school-teacher sitting on a chair with birches in her hand as a small boy stands in front of her and another child holding a book looks on. Engraving by W.H. Simmons after T. Webster.

A maid bringing medicine and soup to her master who has a cold. Lithograph, 1857, after W.H. Simmons after J. Collinson.

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