Early Morning, Richmond Park

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."
View of Richmond Park, trees at right, landscape across left.
"State II (DI, HI) The plate was rebitten and in the process became extensively foul-bitten especially at left and lower right. There is now a curving path at extreme right; the center bottom is shaded with diagonal strokes and there has been much drypoint work on trees so that they appear in full foliage, and on the tree shadows. The inscription added 'F S Haden 1859'. *MMA ('I' State before the plate was cleaned. S. Haden')"
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 89]
Before first state in Harrington, before the plate was cleaned.
['First.-The plate is extensive foul bitten. "F.S. Haden 1859". Very few impressions.']
[Source: Harrington, p.12]