ETCHING AND ETCHINGS.

THE art of Etching has had an interesting and remarkable history since it was first used by Albert Durer and Lucas Van Leyden, 350 years ago. To which of these artists belongs the credit of its invention it is impossible to say; both practised it, and it is said that it was suggested to Lucas on observing a maker of armour embellishing his steel cuirasses by means of acid; however this may be, the introduction of Etching meant the emancipation of Artists from the mechanical difficulties of engraving.

To mention the names of those who have won distinction with the etching needle since Durer's time would be to enumerate the names of most of the great artists who have lived since, and though some have practised it with singular success, as Rembrandt, whose admirable works are prized almost as much as his oil pictures, few have done more than suggest by their productions how much could be accomplished by Etching if earnestly studied.

During the last few years one of the most remarkable features in connection with the Fine Arts has been the extent to which Etching has been practised, and the favour with which it is regarded, both by the art-world and the general public. In fact, it may be said that all has been done that could be done to assist the public to appreciate it; elaborate and costly books having been published to explain the theory of the Art and assist in its practice. If the writers on the subject did no more than this it would be well; but, unfortunately, carried away by their enthusiasm, they are led into the most extravagant assertions on its behalf. We are told again and again that for giving expression to the thought of an Artist in black and white, Etching is unrivalled. The members of the Royal Academy have been asked to practice the Art seriously and earnestly, and also to give it that recognition which separate and distinct arrangements in regard to exhibition, and the election of Etchers, as such, to the dignity of Royal Academicians would involve. Enthusiasm for the Art is thus forcing it into a position which it cannot of itself retain, and the great expectations which have been excited will meet with severe disappointment; we have only to examine some of the vast number of specimens which are now flooding the market to feel sure of this.

Without entering into the controversy as to the place Etching should take as an Art process, leaving Mr. Hamerton and Mr. Ruskin to fight that matter out, it is worth while recalling what Mr. Ruskin has said, viz., "That Etching is an indolent and blundering Art, the results attained being a mixture of art and accident that, by it, nature cannot be satisfactorily imitated." He says, also, that "Artists ought not to etch, neither should students study Etchings, and if the Art is to be practised at all, only very simple subjects should be attempted." This may pass as an opinion, but Mr. Ruskin's views can hardly be accounted for except upon the supposition that his judgment has been warped by the attempts which have been so frequently made to realise results far beyond the power of the etching needle to accomplish.

There are three methods of Engraving, known as Line, Etching, and Dry-Point, all three can be, and frequently are used on the same plate. Line Engraving is cutting the lines with a diamond-shaped tool, Dry-Point drawing lines with a round point, and Etching is engraving lines by means of acid. Of the first-mentioned, the limits of this article will not allow a discussion of its merits, and Line Engraving may be said to belong to the past. In the hands of eminent engravers, it was almost limited to the representation of celebrated pictures, nevertheless it achieved great results, by reason not only of the great capabilities of the artist-engravers, but on account of its peculiar adaptability to the results sought to be achieved. Line work will always be regarded as the highest form of Engraving, there is so much to be done that cannot be accomplished by it, that practically it leaves almost unlimited room for the practice of the sister art of Etching, enriched with Dry-Point.

A knowledge of the process of Etching will explain what its capabilities are, and what are its limitations.

Briefly stated, the process is as follows:-A copper or zinc plate, well planished and polished, is covered with a thin coat of black preparation called "etching ground;" the plate is warmed and carefully "dabbed" till the ground, or film, is evenly distributed all over the plate; as the plate cools the film hardens, so that when ready for work it has become quite hard. (When the subject to be done is one of much detail, a tracing from the drawing is made on gelatine, and gently rubbed on to the copper, leaving sufficient impression to work by.) On this surface the artist, with a needle, not unlike a common sewing needle, sketches in his composition, the needle only removes the varnish, leaving the drawing in glittering lines upon the surface of the copper, the black ground remaining where not touched by the etching needle. The drawing is made with as much, if not more ease than it could be made with pen and ink on paper, only great care must be taken, as a line cannot be erased.

When the drawing is finished, the plate is immersed in an acid bath, the proportion of nitrous acid to water being 33% to 66%. The plate is removed after about three minutes' immersion, and all the lines which have been drawn with the etching needle will be found clearly etched

into the copper. If variation of tone is required, as light lines and dark shades, after the plate has been taken out of the bath, the light parts are covered with brunswick black, and the plate is again immersed. In proportion to the number of tones required the process of stopping out parts is repeated, the plate subjected to the action of the acid bath till the effect required has been secured. By the application of oil and turpentine the plate is cleaned and the etching is finished. - This process is called the "Interrupted" process. By another process called the "Continuous" method, and one often used by Mr. Seymour Haden, the plate is inserted in a glass bath, with four bits of wax in each corner of the bottom to fix it, and the whole etching must be done without removing the plate from the bath. The lines which require to be the broadest or deepest are drawn first, and so are longest subject to the action of the mordant; these generally represent the foreground, then the middle is drawn, then the extreme distance, and lastly the sky. Thus the picture is carried through its various stages, and a gradation of colour is obtained altogether by the action of the acid.

The process of biting is one of extreme delicacy, the greatest care and judgment being necessary if satisfactory results are to be secured. To a large extent the success of the work depends upon the skill with which this process of biting is done.

After the plate has been proved, when it is found that certain parts of the drawing are too dark and other parts too light, the dark parts are lightened by being toned down with charcoal, and parts required darker are re-etched. It must not be thought that all etchings are thus completed, it frequently happens that in order to give finish and completeness lighter lines or tones, which have not been obtained by etching, have to be added. This is done by finishing the plate with a dry-point, the faint, delicate lines often to be observed in etchings are all done with a dry-point. Very few etchings but have to be so worked up.

Working on copper with a dry-point (a very similar tool to the etching needle) is a very simple matter, considerable pressure has to be used, so that the lines are scored into the copper. The burr left is removed readily, and the fine delicate lines only remain. It is not an easy matter to explain the peculiar merits of dry-point engraving, and the assistance it gives, without having works in which both are combined, to point out the relative merits of each. Of all engraving processes dry-point is the most delicate and the least durable, though it has always been inseparable from etching since Rembrandt's time, who, towards the close of his life, discarded all other methods of engraving in its favour.

The next important step in connection with our subject is printing, and it is astonishing how much depends upon the printer. Many artists print their own proofs, and failing that, it is the rule to stand by the printing press, while the first proofs are being taken. Haden and Herkomer both have elaborate printing arrangements in connection with

their studios, and both maintain that artistic printing (and that implies that the printer must be an artist), is essential to the success of an etching. Haden goes so far as to recommend all etchers to print their own work, unless indeed "they can find a finely organized man with the palm of a duchess" to do it for them, and as an illustration of what printing can or cannot do, he mentions that the best plates done by Whistler, ie, his sixteen Thames subjects, were printed so badly that the owner thought the plates were worn out, and sold them for a small sum, but the purchaser took them to another printer, and it was found that they produced better impressions than had before been approached. The printing of etchings, while it requires training and care, is, in itself, a comparatively simple matter, the printer takes the plate and places it on a stove till it is very warm, he then presses ink into the lines with a dabber, and with the palm of his hand wipes the plate clean, leaving the ink in the engraved lines only. If the plate has been left for clean printing, the printing is simple enough, but if the plate is etched, as most of the modern plates are, so that the effect depends upon the printing, the printer has a difficult task before him.

It the reader will examine any of the etchings in the Portfolio, or Etcher, he will notice that, independently of the lines of the etching, a certain brown tint appears over the whole of the subject, in some places the tint is very deep, and in others very faint, to a large extent the light and shade of the picture depends upon the dexterity with which this tint is manipulated. The tint itself is secured by the printer taking care not to wipe the plate clean, but to leave a film of ink all over it, toning down with a muslin parts that are required light. It is when plates have to be so dexterously printed, that the artist must do it himself, or get the "finely organised man with the palm of a duchess" to print for him.

The extent to which artistic printing is being practised, and to which it is being relied upon in the production of most modern works is hardly realized. It would not be too much to say that many of the drawings recently published ought to be described as "specimens of clever printing," for the merit they appear to possess does not belong to the engraver. A great objection to the tinting of etchings in the printing arises from the discolouring which soon takes place; this may result from the paper or ink used, but from whichever it may come, it is fatal to the permanence of the excellence which may belong to the work. It may be replied that the etchings of Rembrandt were so printed, true, but they do not depend upon the printing to the extent that the work of inferior artists is made to do.

The number of impressions printed from an etched plate was, until recently, very few. From a finely engraved plate not more than from 50 to 100 good impressions could be obtained, the friction of printing wearing away the fine lines. Taking Mr Seymour Haden's works as an illustration, we find that of his Etudes à l'Eau-forte, published in 1865 (the work which at once placed him at the head of the English

School of Etching, a position which he has since maintained), only 180 could be printed. How many perfect impressions can be taken from a plate (unless it is steel-faced, of which hereafter) would depend altogether upon the subject-200 would probably be the extreme number of perfect impressions which could be secured.

The practice now being followed is to steel-face the copper plate. Apart from this process, it would be quite impossible to print the large number of copies required for illustrated magazines, but not only are etchings steel-faced, but most engravings of value are treated in the same way. The process of steel-facing finely-engraved copper plates was invented by a Frenchman, and consists in covering by means of electricity, a plate after it has been engraved, with a coating of steel, so slight that not even the faintest engraved lines are filled up. During the printing it is this steel coating which is worn, and not the copper. When the steel wears in any place, the plate is immersed in a bath containing a solvent, which does not injure the copper, but removes all the steel remaining; after which the plate may be re-steeled, and this operation may be repeated time after time till an immense number of impressions have been produced.

At first it might appear that this gives the etcher new powers, but unfortunately the impressions taken from steel-faced plates are hardly equal to impressions printed direct from the copper. The difference may be slight, but a comparison of impressions taken both ways shows that it is very real.

The demand for Etchings would appear to be increasing, and the supply is certainly equal to the demand. Formerly it was difficult to dispose of a sufficient number of copies to make an etching worth doing, but now it would appear to be one of the most profitable professions to follow, for Etching has become a profession in itself.

As an illustration of the losses and gains which have attended Etching, it is worth remembering as a curious fact that the Etudes à l'Eau-forte, were published by M. Seymour Haden at a loss, fifteen guineas a copy was the published price (of which only twelve guineas found their way into M. Haden's pockets), while every copy cost him sixteen guineas. But such was the reputation he acquired by the publication that when he issued his plate Agamemnon at five guineas a copy, the sale was so large that the plate in its first state realized the magnificent sum of two thousand five-hundred guineas, a result never anticipated, but none the less satisfactory to the clever artist.

Not only as works of Art, but as curiosities, Etchings command high prices. An impression of a very small drawing by Rembrandt, of which only one impression in its first state was known to exist, sold for £120, while three impressions of the same artist's plate, "Christ healing the Sick," have been sold for the extravagant sum of £1,571. £1,180 was given for one impression! The Etchings of Vandyke command high prices; a folio of drawings by him was sold in 1864 for £400, about £40 an impression, and the probability is that still higher prices