Brentford Ferry
Medium
Etching with drypoint on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 21.6 × 13.6 cm (8 9/16 × 5 3/8 in.); Sheet: 24 × 16.4 cm (9 1/2 × 6 1/2 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
104219
Art Historical Context
Francis Seymour Haden's *Brentford Ferry* (1864) captures a serene moment along the River Thames near London, evoking the everyday rhythm of Victorian life. As a surgeon by trade, Haden was a pivotal figure in Britain's 19th-century etching revival, championing the medium as a fine art rather than mere reproduction. This intimate landscape print reflects his passion for capturing atmospheric English countryside scenes, influenced by 17th-century masters like Rembrandt. Rendered in etching with drypoint on cream laid paper, the work showcases Haden's technical virtuosity. Etching involves draw...
About the Artist
Francis Seymour Haden · 1818–1910
Sir Francis Seymour Haden (1818–1910) was a pioneering English etcher and distinguished surgeon whose passion for printmaking elevated him to the forefront of Britain's Etching Revival. Born on 16 September 1818 in Chelsea, London, to physician Charles Thomas Haden, he received a classical education at Derby School and Christ's Hospital before pursuing medicine at University College London and the...