The Cabin
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 small cabin seen at middle-distance, to right; a cat and a tree to left and a small village seen in the background; in the foreground, to left, a dog, facing front, coming out of a barrel.
"State IV (D1, H1). Several houses, trees and a fence have been sketchily drawn in the far left distance. The area to the right of the tree and barrel has additional shading with long parallel lines. With the inscription 'Seymour Haden 1877' (D, l.c.)."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 317]
"Published State: First.-Some houses, trees, and a fence have been introduced in the distance to the extreme left, an dthe signature and date 'Seymour Haden 1877,' added, but in the center of the foreground."
[Source: Harrington, p. 86]
A small cabin seen at middle-distance, to right; a cat and a tree to left and a small village seen in the background; in the foreground, to left, a dog, facing front, coming out of a barrel.
"State IV (D1, H1). Several houses, trees and a fence have been sketchily drawn in the far left distance. The area to the right of the tree and barrel has additional shading with long parallel lines. With the inscription 'Seymour Haden 1877' (D, l.c.)."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 317]
"Published State: First.-Some houses, trees, and a fence have been introduced in the distance to the extreme left, an dthe signature and date 'Seymour Haden 1877,' added, but in the center of the foreground."
[Source: Harrington, p. 86]
Artwork Details
- Title: The Cabin
- Artist: Sir Francis Seymour Haden (British, London 1818–1910 Bramdean, Hampshire)
- Date: 1877
- Medium: Drypoint; first (final) state (Harrington); fourth state of four (Schneiderman)
- Dimensions: Sheet: 8 7/16 × 13 1/8 in. (21.5 × 33.3 cm)
Plate: 5 7/16 × 8 in. (13.8 × 20.3 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
- Object Number: 17.3.2103
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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