The Bellman
1879
Medium
Etching on paper
Dimensions
Image: 16.7 × 23.5 cm (6 5/8 × 9 5/16 in.); Plate: 19 × 25.2 cm (7 1/2 × 9 15/16 in.); Sheet: 27.2 × 38 cm (10 3/4 × 15 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
28873
Art Historical Context
Samuel Palmer's *The Bellman* (1879) is a captivating etching on paper, measuring 16.7 × 23.5 cm for the image alone, housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department. Created late in the artist's life, this work exemplifies Palmer's mastery of etching—a printmaking technique where acid bites into a metal plate to create intricate lines and rich tonal depths. Etchings like this allowed Palmer to achieve luminous effects and fine details reminiscent of his earlier pastoral visions, bridging his Romantic roots with Victorian precision. Palmer (1805–1881), a key figure in ...
About the Artist
Samuel Palmer
Samuel Palmer was born on 27 January 1805 in Newington, London, the son of a bookseller and sometime Baptist minister. He had little formal schooling and almost no conventional artistic training, yet he possessed an instinctive gift for drawing that led him to exhibit Turner-inspired works at the Royal Academy when he was only fourteen years old. In 1824 his mentor, the painter John Linnell, intro...