By Inveroran
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."
A rocky river, seen in perspective, and, in the background, a sloping valley with rows of trees; a mountain seen at a distance.
"State II (H1). The lower right foreground, including the signature and date, the clouds in the sky and the middle distance from left to center right of plate removed."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 285]
"Published State: First.-The greater part of the work in the sky, many of the rocks in the stream, and the signature and date are removed. The central part of the plate cleared with the intention of inserting some black cattle."
[Source: Harrington, p. 74]
