PRINTS
Haden, Sir Francis Seymour
England (1818 - 1910)
A Moorland Stream / The Haunt of the Mosquito
1897
Etching and mezzotint on paper
7 7/8 x 11 1/8 in. (20 x 28.3 cm) sheet size; 5 13/16 x 8 7/8 in. (14.8 x 22.5 cm) plate mark size
Stimson Collection, gift of Dorothy Stimson Bullitt
FA 77.109

Landscapes. Haden's sensitivity towards nature echoed the Romantic poets. He found comfort in the still peacefulness of landscape as opposed to the emotive and restless quality of the human figure. In most of Haden's work man is always a minor character in the distance or turning his back on the view as he becomes engulfed by nature. In Evening the landscape closed ominously around the tiny figures in the boat as they work their way towards the shore. The human element is barely hinted at in Windmill Hill No. 1, completely absent in Windmill Hill No. 2, and unwelcome in The Haunt of the Mosquito. In each of these works Haden's consciousness of nature is distinguished by his attention to the passage of time. -- Label copy for The Landscapes of Sir Francis Seymour Haden, Reed Gallery, April 6, 1991 to September 6, 1991.

This velvety mezzotint was created by artist, author, and surgeon, Sir Francis Seymour Haden. Known for his hard-ground etchings and dry-point, Haden was considered to be the foremost British expert on etching and published several books on the subject. As a principal catalyst of etching’s revival in England, Haden was rewarded for his public service by a knighthood in 1894. Haden’s knowledge of etching greatly influenced his brother-in-law, the artist James McNeill Whistler.

Haden was in regular contact with Whistler, having married the artist’s sister, Deborah, in 1847. Whistler frequently visited the couple and made many etchings of his sister and the Haden household. However, their relationship was not without its share of troubles. Haden objected to Whistler's relationship with the model, Joanna Hiffernan, and Whistler, after accusing Haden of disrespect towards his late medical partner, knocked him through a plate-glass window in Paris. The two men never spoke to each other again. In spite of the fact that Haden had a tumultuous relationship with Whistler, Haden so greatly influenced Whistler’s work that he dedicated his first set of etchings, the so-called French Set to him. The Henry Art Gallery has portions of this set in its collection. -- Label copy for 150 Works of Art, October 1, 2005 to February 26, 2006.