19th Century American Prints, Etchings & Lithographs

When Dutch painter/etcher Rembrandt died in 1669, etching and drypoint techniques gradually diminished and, with few exceptions, etchings were strictly reproductive or illustrative works, not original pieces. In the middle 1800s, however, an etching revival began in France. Maxime Lalanne wrote a popular etching textbook in 1866. This book, "A Treatise on Etching," was later translated into English and published in the U.S. in 1880. This book was greatly responsible for the American Etching Revival and for the proliferation of 19th century American etchings. This corresponded to the British Etching Revival, and many American artists studied and worked in Great Britian and on the Continent, with London, Paris and Venice providing rich subject matter for many American etchings.

Another important factor which led to the American etching movement was the founding of the New York Etching Club in 1877. In the centuries before, etchings were primarily used for producing reproductions of paintings, but now 19th century American etching artists were using this medium to produce beautiful, original artworks. Antique art prints from 19th Century American artists featured here include lithographs and etchings executed by Whistler, Hassam, Cassatt, Weir, Moran, and Homer.