Artwork
Little Auk
Little Auk is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Robert Havell Jr.. It dates from 1836 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1836, *Little Auk* is a hand‑colored engraving combined with aquatint, executed on fine Whatman wove paper. The print presents two small seabirds, one in flight clutching a fish and the other perched on a rock, set against a choppy water surface and a faint mountainous horizon.
Subject & Meaning
The work portrays the little auk, a diminutive seabird native to northern coasts. By showing both a male and a female, identified in the artist’s label, the image emphasizes the species’ natural behavior—feeding and resting—while offering a study of their distinctive dark‑headed, white‑bellied plumage.
Technique & Style
Havell employed aquatint to achieve tonal gradations that render the water’s ripples and the birds’ feathers with subtle shading. Hand‑coloring adds soft yet vivid hues, highlighting details such as the fish in the beak and the texture of the rocky perch.
History & Provenance
The print was produced by Robert Havell Jr., a member of the Havell family of Reading, Berkshire, renowned for their engraving and aquatint expertise. He inherited a tradition of printmaking from his father, Robert Havell the Elder, and his relatives, who were active in both British and Indian artistic circles.
Context
During the early nineteenth century, natural history illustration flourished as scientific interest in fauna grew. Prints like *Little Auk* served both educational and decorative purposes, providing detailed visual records before the advent of photography.
Legacy
The Havell family’s contributions to printmaking helped standardize techniques for reproducing natural subjects. Works such as this continue to be referenced for their precise rendering of wildlife and for exemplifying the collaborative craft of engraving and aquatint in the pre‑photographic era.
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.
