English Mezzotints - Spring 1965 Museum News - New Series Volume 8 Number 1

Sep 28, 2026

Spring 1965 Museum News presents a curated introduction to English mezzotints, explaining their value as fine prints and their renewed appreciation as demonstrations of engraving skill. It traces mezzotint development in the 18th century, its role in reproducing oil portraits before photography, and why print quality relies on delicate burrs, proofs, and numbered states. The issue also describes the Toledo Museum of Art’s English mezzotint collection and its acquisition history from the Scott family.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time37 min

AccessFree to download

Museum News

A Collection of Mezzotints

English Mezzotint Prints

The Mezzotint Process

Proof Impressions and States

# Museum NewsTHE TOLEDO MUSEUMOF ARTFOUNDED BY EDWARD DRUMMOND LIBBEYSPRING 1965 # A COLLECTION OF MEZZOTINTS Fine prints have always been valued as works of art by museums and pri-vate collectors.Tastes and interests,however,have varied over the centuries,and what is fashionable one day may not be on the next.The Englishmezzotint has had its share of enthusiatic admiration and disinterestedneglect.Fortunately,mezzotints are once again enjoyed as superlativeexamples of the engraver's skill and interpretation. Developed as a printmaking technique in the 18th century and practisedchiefly by English artists,the mezzotint was primarily a method of repro-ducing copies in black ink on paper of elegant portraits done in oils oncanvas.Mezzotinting is not practised to any extent today;indeed,sincethe early 19th century,other techniques were preferred for their less cum-bersome methods of engraving or etching a copper plate.Today,the mezzo-tint is appreciated for its own virtues:skilled interpretation of the originalpainting,velvety textures of ink,and masterful use of the technique. The greater part of the Museum's collection of English mezzotints was agift of Mrs.Stevenson C.Scott,in memory of her husband.Mr.Scott(1864-1945)was president of the art firm of Scott and Fowles,New York,which he formed in 1898.The thirty-eight mezzotints,given in 1951-1952by Mrs.Scott,were acquired by Mr.Scott for his personal collection,andwere exhibited for years in his home.All of the mezzotints in this publica-tion are from the Scott collection unless otherwise noted. This superb group of mezzotints forms an important and rich section ofthe Museum's print collection.It contains many early or proof impressions,and all are of high quality. Otto Wittmann,Director Museum News THE TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ARTFOUNDED BY EDWARD DRUMMOND LIBBEY SPRING 1965New Series:Volume 8,Number 1 EDITOR:Otto Wittmann ASSISTANT EDITOR:Millard F.Rogers,Jr. COVER:·JOHN RAPHAEL SMITH(1752-1812). His Royal Highness George,Prince of Wales (after ThomasGainsborough).Detail. 25/%x 17%8 inches.1785.Smith 167,IV/X. 51.479 SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS(1723-1792).The Young Gardener.Oil on canvas.501/4x 397%inches.1788.Gift of George W.and Mary F.Ritter.55.31 # ENGLISH MEZZOTINTS CHARLES WILKIN(1750-1814). Master Henry Hoare(after Sir Joshua Reynolds).11716x87/6.1789.O’Donoghue 1.Ex-collection:Amédée Faure,Paris.Gift of Thomas Agnew and Sons,London.55.37 Portraits of well-known English men and women of the 18th century foundtheir way into the homes of the enlarging middle class in the form of mezzotintengravings.This process of reproduction made possible the multiplication ofpaintings by the great masters of portraiture for over a century prior to the in-vention of photography. Prominent figures in the select circles of London society were accustomed tohaving grandiose portraits adorn the walls of their fashionable town or countryhouses,for any bit of cultural,political or social eminence was reason enoughto immortalize onself on canvas.The translation of painted portraits intomezzotints made their subjects known to the increasingly interested public atmodest prices.The great demand for mezzotints led to the rapid rise and pros-perity of both the engraver and the publisher,whose functions were frequent-ly assumed by the same person.The artists whose paintings were engraved andreproduced profited as well;Sir Joshua Reynolds realized the value of thecopy and sale of these prints when he said of contemporary mezzotint engrav-ers:“By these men I shall be immortalized.” In the Museum's collection is Sir Joshua Reynolds'painting of The YoungGardener,a portrait of Master Henry Hoare,and its engraved counterpart by Charles Wilkin.A comparison of these two works illustrates the exactnessof reproduction achieved through this process.While the painting itself was en-joyed by few besides its owners,the print reached a far wider public throughits engraved version by Wilkin

FAQs

Why were mezzotints widely valued before photography?

Mezzotints translated painted portraits into black-ink prints, allowing artworks by major masters to be multiplied and owned by a growing audience at modest prices.

What is the core principle of the mezzotint engraving process?

It is a negative process: the plate is first grounded to create a rich, velvet black impression, then the engraver reduces darkness by scraping away the burr to form lighter tones and highlights.

How do proofs and states help collectors?

Proof impressions are especially desirable, and successively numbered states chronologically record reworkings on the plate. This helps collectors identify where an impression fits among known versions derived from the same plate.

Sep 28, 2026

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