Henry Thomas Alken, Wild Fowl Shooting & A Sporting Tandem – 1820 aquatint pair
Henry Thomas Alken, Wild Fowl Shooting & A Sporting Tandem – 1820 aquatint pair
Henry Thomas Alken, Wild Fowl Shooting & A Sporting Tandem – 1820 aquatint pair

Henry Thomas Alken Wild Fowl Shooting & A Sporting Tandem

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A pair of original 1820 aquatint prints, Henry Thomas Alken, Wild Fowl Shooting & A Sporting Tandem.

A pair of comic sporting prints by Henry Thomas Alken (1785–1851), the dominant sporting artist of the early 19th century. Himself a keen sportsman, many of Alken’s plates take a sardonic, mildly satirical view of what they depict.

'A Sporting Tandem' is aquatint with etching and hand-colouring. H. Alken delt. R.G. Reeve sculp. On laid paper, trimmed within the plate and laid down on board (sheet size 29 x 38cm).

'Wild Fowl Shooting' is aquatint printed in colour with further hand-colouring. H. Alken delt. I. Clark sculpt. 1820. On wove paper (sheet size 26 x 33cm).

+ Read the Artist Research

Henry Thomas Alken (1785–1851)

Henry Thomas Alken (1785–1851) was best known as a caricaturist and illustrator of sporting subjects. He was the most distinguished member of an artistic dynasty; his father, Samuel Alken, was an architect and engraver, two of his brothers were artists, and also two of his sons. He studied under his father from a young age and also was apprenticed to the miniaturist John Thomas Barber. In 1809 he married Maria Gordon in Ipswich, Suffolk, and may have lived there for some years. A keen huntsman himself, also seems to have mixed with the notorious hunting set of Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire – and it has been suggested that he lived there, and worked as a horse breeder. His earliest sporting prints were signed ‘Ben Tally Ho’.

Moving to London, the 1820s saw Alken at the height of his skill and success. He produced many prints and illustrated numerous books, often with sporting and / or comic subjects, including The National Sports of Great Britain (1821), Real Life in London (1821-22), A Touch at the Fine Arts (1824) and Sporting Scrap Book (1824).

His work is represented in many public collections, including the British Museum and the V&A.

COA
+ Artwork Details

Dimensions: Height: 23.2cm (9.13") Width: 28.7cm (11.3")

Presented: Unframed.

Medium: Aquatint

Age: Early 19th-century

Signed: No.

Inscribed: Lettered in the plate below the image.

Dated: --

Condition: Age toning and marks as shown. The 'Wild Fowl Shooting' print has three small areas of repaired tear, to the upper and left edges of the sheet, and at the left edge of the image. Please see photos for detail.

Stock number: KA-384