Artwork
H Beard Print Collection
H Beard Print Collection is a print by the Romanticist artist F. de Fournier. It dates from 1829 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
This 1829 print by F. de Fournier shows a portrait of Lord Brughersh (John Fane). It’s a single sheet in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Beard Print Collection.
The artist chose Romanticism’s dramatic lighting for the image. That style often highlights emotion and personality in its subjects.
Next, look up chiaroscuro to see how light and shadow shaped portrait prints.
Overview
Created in 1829, this single-sheet print by French engraver François de Fournier depicts John Fane, the 11th Earl of Westmorland, known in the collection as Lord Brughersh. The work is part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Beard Print Collection, catalogued as a print medium and type.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait presents the aristocrat in a dignified pose, emphasizing his status and personal character. By focusing on the sitter’s facial expression and attire, the image conveys a sense of the individual’s social standing and the era’s interest in personal identity within the nobility.
Technique & Style
De Fournier employs a Romantic approach to lighting, using strong contrasts of light and dark to model the figure. This chiaroscuro effect creates depth and accentuates emotional nuance, a hallmark of Romantic portraiture that seeks to reveal inner feeling through visual drama.
History & Provenance
The print entered the V&A’s Beard Print Collection as a representative example of early‑19th‑century French engraving. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s effort to document the cross‑national exchange of portrait prints during the period, linking French technique with British aristocratic subjects.
Artist & collection
Artist
This guy made prints of beards—seriously. In 1829, he turned facial hair into fashion, carving every curl and whisker into copper until the plates wore thin. His prints look like a barber’s wildest catalog: curls tumble…
