The Mouth of the Thames, after Turner, No. 2
Sir Francis Seymour Haden British
after Joseph Mallord William Turner British
Not on view
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 windy sea, with several boats rocking on the waves, dark clouds overhead.
"State IV (H1). Additional burnishing on the seagull, the sky, and the distant boat at center, especially the sails. New mezzotint work near foreground boat and new drypoint work in sky over boats at the right."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 405]
"Published State: First.-No signature nor title. This and No. 248 were engravd from a picture by Turner in the possession of the Duke of Westminister."
[Source: Harrington, p. 120]
