| Method | Mezzotint |
| Artist | John Sartain after Gilbert Stuart Newton |
| Published | [c. 1824] |
| Dimensions | Image 138 x 111 mm, Sheet 232 x 147 mm |
| Notes |
A mezzotint print of Washington Irving after the 1820 painting by Gilbert Stuart Newton. Irving sits in a large armchair, next to a side table with two books. Unlike the original painting, which shows him sitting upright, in this print he leans to the right, resting his head against his right arm. He wears a coat, waistcoat, high-collared shirt, and bow-tie. Irving's signature is printed below as the title. Washington Irving (3rd April 1783 - 28th November 1859) was an American biographer and novelist, whose most famous works, Rip Van Winkle (1819) and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1820) are the first examples of American gothic literature, and effectively launched the Romantic movement in America. In transporting the standard tropes of Romanticism from Italian castles to the wilds of New England and the American frontier, Irving established himself as the grandfather of American supernatural literature. His work has had a profound effect on the horror genre, inspiring authors from Edgar Allen Poe to Steven King. In his own lifetime, Irving was celebrated internationally, and received particular acclaim amongst the British Romantics. During his journeys in the United Kingdom, he met Coleridge, Walter Scott, and Mary Shelley. Lord Byron was among his many admirers. John Sartain (24th October 1808 - 25th October 1897) was a British-born American artist and printmaker, most celebrated as the pioneer of mezzotint in the United States. His output was vast and varied, and included book illustrations, vignettes for banknotes, oil portraits, ivory miniatures, mezzotints of popular figures and historical scenes, and engravings on all subjects for his own publication, Sartain's Union Magazine. In addition to his artistic work, Sartain is also remembered as a close personal friend of romantic horror author, Edgar Allen Poe. In 1849, shortly before the author's death, Poe visited Sartain in a state of consternation, raving about conspiracy and attempts on his life, and with 'a wild and frightened expression in his eyes.' Gilbert Stuart Newton (2nd September 1795 - 5th August 1835) was an American-born British artist. He painted a number of portraits of literary figures, including Walter Scott and Washington Irving, and entered the Royal Academy, but in 1832 began suffering from mental illness and was placed in an asylum in Chelsea, where he died of consumption. Condition: Creases to top left and right corners, not affecting image. |
| Framing | mounted |
| Price | £50.00 |
| Stock ID | 8773 |