Robert Houston RWS Castle Stalker, Argyll, Scotland

Etching Revival: Early 20th-century British & American Prints

This etching is one of a wonderful collection of original prints that we have for sale representing the Etching Revival period in Britain and the USA in the early 20th century.

The Etching Revival redefined the medium and brought a shift in etching style during the period approximately from 1850 to 1930. The revival's origins can be traced to France in the 1830s and 40s. Renewed interest had begun in London from as early as 1838 with the founding of The Etching Club by Charles West Cope. The writings of Sir Francis Seymour Haden (1818–1910) and the art critic Philip Gilbert Hamerton (1834–1894) were instrumental in promoting etching as an original art medium in Britain. Encouraged in part by their European counterparts, American artists in the late 19th-century also embraced the revival of etching.

Etchers became more involved in the printing of their works, selecting individual and unique inks, paper and processes. The ease of producing etchings helped to attract a diverse group of artists who adapted the printmaking technique to their individual styles and subject matter.

Our collection includes marine subjects by British artists Arthur James F. Bond RSMA (1888–1958) and Robert Henry Smith (fl.1906–1920); British-American artist Cyril Saunders Spackman (1887–1963); American artist Philip Kappel (1901–1981); and German-American artist Anton Schütz (1894–1977).

Scottish artists paid a significant contribution to the Etching Revival: prints by Scottish artists such as David Young Cameron, James McBey and Muirhead Bone were the most sought after and expensive prints in the world. Our collection includes a number of Scottish artists and subjects, including Robert Houston RWS (1881–1942), John Macdonald Aiken RSA RI (1880–1961) and John George Mathieson (1880–1954).