Haden, Francis Seymour

Born:1818 – London

Died:1910 – Alresford, Hampshire

Title of Work:

Haden was an important and influential figure in British etching. A surgeon who practised medicine until 1887 and only etched for relaxation, he produced over 250 plates.

His first works date from 1843 but the main body of his etchings were made after 1858. Haden would often carry small plates with him and would sketch scenes with an etching needle in much the same way as using a notebook. He liked to work directly from nature completing the initial plate in a day and often suggesting form by a minimum of lines. He believed that swift execution resulted in a much stronger picture and would leave large areas of the plate untouched. This was in marked contrast to earlier printmakers who would fill every available space on their plate.

He was greatly influenced by, and provided an influence on, his brother-in-law James Abbott McNeill Whistler and their early works share a fascination with modern aesthetics and locations. Indeed the two planned to publish a collaborative series of etchings of scenes of the Thames but, due to their tempestuous relationship, the project never materialised.

Haden was knighted in 1894 and elected Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1857. Other awards included being made an honorary member of the Institut de France and the Académie des Beaux Arts. He was also elected a member of the Sociétié des Artistes Français. He was awarded the Grand Prix at the Expositions Universelles in 1889 (for etching) and 1900 (for mezzotint). In addition his work attracted a number of medals at the International Exhibition in Chicago in 1893. His writings include About Etching (1878), The Relative Claims of Etching and Engraving to rank as Fine Arts and to be represented in the Royal Academy (1883) and The Art of the Painter-Etcher (1890).

His legacy, however, lies in his championing of the reputation of etching in response to the Royal Academy’s resistance to recognise etchers as full members. Since its founding in 1768 the Royal Academy had continually refused to recognise printmakers as full members of the Academy (between 1860 and 1865 he exhibited a number of plates at the Royal Academy under the pseudonym ‘H. Dean’). Indeed it was only in 1853 that engravers were able to gain the status ‘Academician Engravers’. His involvement in The Etching Club and his foundation and Presidency of The Society of Painter-Etchers, later The Royal Society (RE), in 1880 were important factors in providing a platform for recognising the status and reputation of original etchers. His writings too, provided significant and influential discussions on the modern aesthetics of printmaking.