The Fisherman
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 close-up view of a river bank;river at left; a half-length figure of a bearded fisherman with a hat and a fishing rod in his hands at right.
"State V (D1,H1). The water in the foreground at the left is now clear of work, having neither reeds nor reflections. The fishing rod has been re-etched and is broader and better defined; the fisherman's right sleeve has been redrawn and is less shaded. Additional shading in the trees in the middle distance, also additional work on the reeds to the left of the fisherman; apparently the reeds behind him were also re-etched. The lighter drypoint lines in the water appear to wear during the prints."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 165]
"First.-The water in the foreground to the left is now white, having neither reeds nor reflections. The trees in the middle distance, which were heavily shaded in (b), are now much lighter in tone. The fishing-rod has been re-etched, and is broader and better defined, and the fisherman's right sleeve is re-drawn and less shaded. Etched in Mapledurham."
[Source: Harrington, p. 34]
A close-up view of a river bank;river at left; a half-length figure of a bearded fisherman with a hat and a fishing rod in his hands at right.
"State V (D1,H1). The water in the foreground at the left is now clear of work, having neither reeds nor reflections. The fishing rod has been re-etched and is broader and better defined; the fisherman's right sleeve has been redrawn and is less shaded. Additional shading in the trees in the middle distance, also additional work on the reeds to the left of the fisherman; apparently the reeds behind him were also re-etched. The lighter drypoint lines in the water appear to wear during the prints."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 165]
"First.-The water in the foreground to the left is now white, having neither reeds nor reflections. The trees in the middle distance, which were heavily shaded in (b), are now much lighter in tone. The fishing-rod has been re-etched, and is broader and better defined, and the fisherman's right sleeve is re-drawn and less shaded. Etched in Mapledurham."
[Source: Harrington, p. 34]
Artwork Details
- Title: The Fisherman
- Artist: Sir Francis Seymour Haden (British, London 1818–1910 Bramdean, Hampshire)
- Date: 1864
- Medium: Etching and drypoint; trial proof a (Harrington); first state of five (Schneiderman)
- Dimensions: Plate: 5 13/16 × 9 1/4 in. (14.8 × 23.5 cm)
Sheet: 9 3/8 in. × 14 in. (23.8 × 35.5 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
- Object Number: 17.3.323
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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