New-York tribune., 1879-11-10
AMERICAN SKILL PRAISED.

ul-cDNcItu one EOOu IDluE IN lIN Alltfl'au
The citizen of "thc States proigate and ignorant
as he is. does, il appears know how to engrave on
wood. 1.-The impartial critic who is asked where the
best wOod-cuts are produced has, fear, but one
answer possbe-neither in England Germany nor
France but in America" Lest should he 100
much pulled up by this unwOnted panegyrc, we are
told in the next sentence that artists are lar oe
hind our engravers. We cannot produce we can
only copy. This " impartial critic is of opinion
that if America had such men as the chief book
illustrators of England-artists to whom drawing
wood has been a special study-"our Trans
atlantic cousins might well boast that they had
beaten the country OF Bewick and Jackson" BY way
of iust.fying his reluctant admission" he conf
parcs ScriJnu with The CornhW. In the former the
artists are careful, exact, neat, often picturesque
but in no sense TO be compared with Mr.. Du Manrier
or Mr.. Charles Kecne. The engraving, however, III
delicacv fidelity, variety Of tint and shade. ana
other important PARTICULARS Is much superior 10
the English work. have heard an equally hgh
opinion of American engraving oxl II sscd 10y better
authority than fhe Saturday. Ii Is true. also, that
the printing from wood blocks is better understood
| IN America than here. But To speak OF Mt. -"
Maurier or Mr. Charles Kcene as artists 10 whom
the world is 90 to school is piece OF insuarlsm
which requires little comment. The former, az
least must be well known 10 many Americans by
his weekly contributions TO Pmch. They appeal
strongly TO the domestic instinct of the Brton and
are popular. But they are mOnotonous tn degree,
and the drawing is often Of Kind which a pnpl
of ,he Sladc School would shnnk from submitting
! TO his master.
The same periodical has n word to say about
etching and etchers, and fears that this art IN SPITE
Of the abors of Mr. Haden and Mr.. Middleton ~
| has not vet touched the masses. Mr. Middleton Is
mainly known as the compiler of Rembrandt cata-
/ IL IL. t.stfr Sf..
valuable matter, for which he Is largely indebted to
Others But let that pass. Ii Tae NaiWr,i'y hcri'r
is not to he permitted to he superficial, II would
have no reason ior prolonging lis existence. Those
who have paid n little attention 10 the subject oi
| etching have supposed that II had made
great advances of late years in popular iavor-lcss.
indeed in ENGLAND than ~ France. bat still IN ad-
vance of a very marked kind. Mr.. Hamerton-and
il occurs TO me that possibly Middleton. IN the
passage above quoted, was msprin; for this far
better known name-speaks of the reception Ir
Seymour lladeu's etchugs hal met with rs unpre-
cedcned in the history of art. In them, surely, the
public saw something more Ihan " confused net
work of lines through which a few definite forms
are to be made ont with difficulty II sees enough
in Mr.. Hadens Calais 10 pay thirty guineas for
first state of that extraordinary work. II saw enough
IN last Summers exhibition OF etchings to crowd
the Gallery as il still crowds ahout shop windows
where ctchings are hung. 1t has bought edition
after edition of costly books about etching. And II
buys year after year large numbers of impressions
from "a very large number OF plates. Il sides Mr..
Iadcns, there is the work OF the whole Etching
Club; and there are Whistler and LcgTos aud
Rajon and others among LIVING Englishmcn-or
men who are English by resdence-who have
wide and growing fame, and whose works com
mand large prices.
mn bp said that of the I.Ouuou up8lers
have done their best discourage The taste by which
they profit. here has grown up habit ofpublish-
III an almost unlimited number OF what are called
artists proofs of enRravings. This began per-
haps with steel plates, which really were capable
of produciuga considerable number of impressions
before they began to show signs of wear. When
fashion sprang up. ratherrevivcd, afewyeaIs ago.
for mezzotnts, the same process was continued.
although the copper would by 10 means endure as
long AS the steel If You were invited To subscribe
for an artists proof OF one of Mr.. COusinss repro
ductons OF Reynolds and If YOU ventured TO ask
how many artists proofs would be taken OF, YOU
might be told three hundred. That IS in
itself an enormous number; but how if 1t
should turn out that the plate was published
Jointly by two separate houses, each of which Is
sued 300 for its own account Ihis may or may
not have happened IN the particular case. but 1t Is
known that in some cases houses of high reputation
thousands Of what they called artists proofs to a
confding public. Mr.. Cousins himself. | have
heard is so conscientious engraver that he will
sign no proof which he does not think satisfactory
impression. Fe superintonds the printing,
and retouches the plate when But
a retouched plate enters upon fresh
''state" and by degree of care or conscience
can production such scale be kept up To the
standard of artistic perfection. Mr. Haden has
IL. lai Af.l hmm
than Mr. Cousins with his mezzotints. Mr.. lIaden
takes off no liked number, but only many as he
can produce to his own satisfaction then he stops.
There IS one publisher in London, MIR. Robert
DunthOne, of Nigo-st., who has broken away from
the custom pursued by too many Others. Mr.. Dun
thorne makes 1t rule to limit the issue of proofs 10
the probable capacity of the plato as tist
printed from. During the last few months he
has published n number of ctchings by men
of hi Oh rank and of differing styles in their art. l
believe the artists proofs of these seldom or never
exceed 100. A dozen : earlier Impressions may
be taken with remarks. The buyer, therefore. is
surc first that for his or guineas he gets really
good impression secondly that the money value
of his purchase is to be diminished or destroyed
bv gluttIng the market with multitude of copies
in the same state Mr.. Dunthorne's system is hon
est. it shows due regard to art and 1t ought IN the
long run to be profitable to him; in which latter
case il may be hoped that it will find imitators.
Among recent publications on this system may be
noted MOngin's plate after Glindone's highway
men II believe that is not the name. but II Indl-
Gates the subjcct-a capital example OF delicate
work with the needle. full of spirit and variety.
The faces lfclikc. and the treatment OF stus Is
not less accurate in its way. Anybody who is IA
mliar with Jules Jacquemarts brilliant ilustra-
tions of ceramic ware knows what this process Is
cannhe Of in depcting surfaces of the most dItii-