Plate from Illustrations to Popular Songs
1822
Medium
Soft ground etching with hand-coloring and aquatint on paper
Dimensions
Image: 20 × 25.7 cm (7 7/8 × 10 1/8 in.); Plate: 21.5 × 27 cm (8 1/2 × 10 11/16 in.); Sheet: 24.5 × 34 cm (9 11/16 × 13 7/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
128515
Art Historical Context
Henry Alken's *Plate from Illustrations to Popular* (1822) captures the lively spirit of early 19th-century British through a vibrant print from the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings collection.ken, a prolific Regency-era artist renowned for his humorous sporting scenes and equestrian caricatures, created this as part of a series illustrating beloved folk and popular tunes. Produced during a time when printed illustrations brought music to life for everyday audiences, it reflects the era's fascination with leisure, satire, and social commentary. Rendered in soft ground etching—a ...
About the Artist
Henry Alken · 1785–1851
Henry Thomas Alken (1785–1851) was a British sporting artist and illustrator who became the most popular and prolific painter of hunting, racing, and coaching scenes in early nineteenth-century England. Born in London, he was the son of the sporting artist Samuel Henry Alken and received his earliest training from his father. He also studied briefly with the miniaturist John Thomas Barber Beaumont...