Artwork
Black-Backed Gull
Black-Backed Gull is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Robert Havell Jr.. It dates from 1835 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Back then, color printing was new, so each sheet got hand-tinted after the engraving.
This shows a black-backed gull standing on rocks, wings half-spread. The bird’s dark back and pale breast stand out against muted blues and grays. Fine lines carve the feathers and claws with sharp detail.
Robert Havell Jr. made this in 1835 as part of a series of British bird prints. Back then, color printing was new, so each sheet got hand-tinted after the engraving. This copy still glows with its original blues and whites.
His smooth cross-hatching makes shadows look soft. See more Havell Jr. prints at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Overview
Black-Backed Gull is a 1835 print by Robert Havell Jr., created using hand-colored engraving and aquatint on Whatman wove paper.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a black-backed gull standing on rocks with its wings partially spread, showcasing the bird's dark back and pale breast against a subdued blue-gray background.
Technique & Style
Havell Jr. employed smooth cross-hatching to achieve soft shadows and fine lines to detail the bird's feathers and claws, demonstrating his skill in aquatint, a technique in which his family was prominent.
History & Provenance
This print was part of a series of British bird prints and was hand-colored after engraving, a common practice when color printing was still a developing technology.
Artist & collection
Artist
The Havell family of Reading, Berkshire, England, included a number of notable engravers, etchers and painters, as well as writers, publishers, educators, and musicians.
