H.W. Longfellow, 2nd plate

Art Historical Context

Discover the evocative portrait *H.W. Longfellow, 2nd plate*, a transfer lithograph by French-born artist Alphonse Leg (1837–1911). This print captures the likeness of the renowned American poet Henry Wadsworth Long, whose works like *Evangeline* and *The Song of Hiawatha* enchanted 19th-century audiences. Created sometime between 1826 and1850, it reflects the era's fascination with literary celebrities, blending portraiture with the burgeoning art of printmaking to make famous faces accessible to a wide public. Legros, a master of Realism who later championed etching in Britain, employed the transfer lithograph technique here—a clever method where the image is first drawn on paper and then chemically transferred to a lithographic stone. This allowed for intricate details and tonal subtlety, bridging drawing's spontaneity with lithography's reproducibility. As a "2nd plate," it likely represents a refined state of the print, showcasing Legros' meticulous revisions for greater expressiveness. Now housed in the National Gallery of Art's Department of Prints (CG-E), this work entered the collection as a thoughtful gift from George Matthew Adams in memory of his mother, Lydia Havens Adams. It stands as a testament to the enduring cultural bridge between American literature and European artistic innovation, inviting visitors to ponder Longfellow's thoughtful gaze through Legros' skilled lens.

About the Artist

Alphonse Legros · 1837–1911

Alphonse Legros (1837–1911) was born in Dijon, France, and trained in Paris at the drawing school of Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran, whose unconventional teaching method — which emphasised memory drawing and acute observation over academic convention — would leave a lasting mark on Legros's practice. At Lecoq's school he formed friendships with Jules Dalou and Auguste Rodin that endured throughout hi...