The Willows
Seymour Haden was the unlikely combination of a surgeon and an etcher. Although he pursued a very successful medical career, he is mostly remembered for his etched work as well as for his writings on etching. He was one of a group of artists, including James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903) and Alphonse Legros (1837–1911), whose passionate interest in the medium led to the so-called etching revival, a period that lasted well into the twentieth century. The extolling of etching for its inherent spontaneous qualities reached its pinnacle during this time. While the line of the etching needle, Haden wrote, was "free, expressive, full of vivacity," that of the burin was "cold, constrained, uninteresting," and "without identity."
A meandering path leading to a row of willow trees; two of them with bare leaves seen to right.
"State III (Hb). The two small tree trunks on the left extended in outline to the top of the plate."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 333]
"Trial Proofs: (b) The two tree-trunks now reach the upper plate mark."
[Source: Harrington, p. 92]
A meandering path leading to a row of willow trees; two of them with bare leaves seen to right.
"State III (Hb). The two small tree trunks on the left extended in outline to the top of the plate."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 333]
"Trial Proofs: (b) The two tree-trunks now reach the upper plate mark."
[Source: Harrington, p. 92]
Artwork Details
- Title: The Willows
- Artist: Sir Francis Seymour Haden (British, London 1818–1910 Bramdean, Hampshire)
- Date: 1877
- Medium: Drypoint; trial proof b (Harrington); second state of six (Schneiderman)
- Dimensions: Sheet: 8 in. × 12 1/4 in. (20.3 × 31.1 cm)
Plate: 5 7/8 × 8 15/16 in. (15 × 22.7 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of David Keppel, 1917
- Object Number: 17.21.24
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.