Artwork
Walter Franklin
Walter Franklin is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin. It dates from 1799 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Charles B.
About this work
Overview
Charles B. J. Févret de Saint‑Mémin’s 1799 portrait of Walter Franklin is a small black‑ink print measuring 5.56 × 5.56 cm. Executed as a mezzotint and engraving on wove paper that has been mounted to a brown wove backing, the work presents a tightly cropped profile view of its sitter, rendered in fine, dense line work.
Subject & Meaning
The image captures Walter Franklin in right‑hand profile, emphasizing a sharply defined nose and a resolute jawline. The austere composition, limited to the sitter’s head and upper coat, conveys a sense of personal gravitas and social standing, reflecting the conventions of late‑eighteenth‑century portraiture that linked visual restraint with dignity.
Technique & Style
Saint‑Mémin employed a combination of mezzotint and engraving, using meticulous cross‑hatching to model subtle shadows across the face and garment.
Saint‑Mémin employed a combination of mezzotint and engraving, using meticulous cross‑hatching to model subtle shadows across the face and garment. The dark ink against the white paper creates a stark contrast, while the tiny “S.M.” monogram in the lower right confirms authorship. The precision of the lines demonstrates the artist’s mastery of the labor‑intensive mezzotint process, especially at such a diminutive scale.
History & Provenance
After fleeing the French Revolution, Saint‑Mémin settled in the United States, where he produced more than two hundred portrait prints of prominent Americans. This portrait of Franklin belongs to that American series, illustrating the artist’s adaptation of French print techniques to a new market. Its survival on mounted paper suggests careful handling and continued interest among collectors of early American portraiture.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin (French pronunciation: ; 1770–1852) was a French portrait painter and museum director.
