Artwork

H Beard Print Collection

H Beard Print Collection, by Samuel De Wilde, 1811
H Beard Print Collection, by Samuel De Wilde, 1811

H Beard Print Collection is a print by the Romanticist artist Samuel De Wilde. It dates from 1811 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This print is a head-and-shoulders portrait of Mrs.

About this work

A print like this could be made in dozens or even hundreds of copies, so it helped spread the sitter’s likeness beyond a single painting.

This print shows a head-and-shoulders portrait of Mrs. Liston from 1811. The artist, Samuel De Wilde, worked in England during the early 1800s. It’s a print, not a painting, so the lines and shading were carved or etched on a plate before ink was pressed onto paper.

Early 19th-century prints like this often captured the faces of everyday sitters. A print like this could be made in dozens or even hundreds of copies, so it helped spread the sitter’s likeness beyond a single painting.

Look up Romanticism next.

Overview

This print is a head-and-shoulders portrait of Mrs. Liston, created by Samuel De Wilde in 1811. It is an example of a reproduced image, made by etching or carving a design onto a plate, then transferring the image to paper using ink.

Subject & Meaning

The print captures the likeness of Mrs. Liston, making her image accessible to a wider audience through the medium of print, which allowed for multiple copies to be produced.

Technique & Style

The print was made using a technique involving etching or carving on a plate, a common method for producing prints during the early 19th century. The resulting image features characteristic print qualities, such as lines and shading.

Context

This work is representative of early 19th-century portraiture, which often focused on depicting everyday individuals. The ability to reproduce images in quantity was a significant aspect of printmaking during this period.

Artist & collection

Portrait of Samuel De Wilde

Artist

Samuel De Wilde

Samuel De Wilde, born and died in London, was a portrait painter and etcher of Dutch descent famous for his theatrical paintings.