The Feathers Tavern
Sir Francis Seymour Haden 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."
The Thames river at Mortlake; sailing barges and a river bank, with houses and a tavern, seen at a distance.
"First.-'Seymour Haden' in right upper corner."
[Source: Harrington, p. 57]
"State II (D1, H1). Much of the work on the right- the sail of the boat at the right, the faint figure, the large tree and part of the sky- removed and replaced by new work. New etched and drypoint work in the water and sky; there is now smoke in the sky. With the signature 'Seymour Haden' (D, u.r.)."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 233]
