Oever van de Theems bij Brentford 1864

Sir Francis Seymour Haden made this etching, ‘Oever van de Theems bij Brentford’, in 1865. It’s an image of the Thames, as you can see, featuring trees and some timber structures by the bank. Haden was active during a time when the Royal Academy was a powerful arbiter of taste in Britain. But as a trained surgeon rather than a professional artist, he was something of an outsider to this institution. He championed the practice of etching at a time when it was not considered as important as painting, or even engraving. Haden was part of a movement to recover etching as an original art form, rather than just a means of reproducing paintings. In 1880, he founded the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers, now the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. Art history often involves understanding the social and institutional contexts in which art is made. By studying the history of artistic institutions and movements, we can better understand the changing values and ideas that shape the art world. Resources such as archives, catalogues, and biographies help us to understand the context in which art is made, and the meanings that it might have held for its original audience.