The Castle Bridge
Medium
Etching on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 14 × 20.2 cm (5 9/16 × 8 in.); Sheet: 22 × 34 cm (8 11/16 × 13 7/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
28447
Art Historical Context
Francis Seymour Haden's *The Castle Bridge* (1877) is a masterful etching that captures the serene beauty of an English landscape, likely inspired by the artist's beloved Thames Valley scenes. Haden, distinguished British surgeon turned etcher, was a leading figure in the 19-century Etching Revival—a movement that elevated printmaking from mere reproduction to a fine art expressive of personal vision. Working on ivory laid paper,aden meticulously incised lines into a copper plate with acid, creating intricate textures that evoke mist-shrouded waters and sturdy stone arches under 5 9/16 × 8 inc...
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...