Ernest Stephen Lumsden
Encyclopedia
Ernest Stephen Lumsden, born London
, 22 December 1883, died Edinburgh
, 29 September 1948 aged 64 years, was a distinguished painter, noted etcher and authority on etching.
He studied at Reading Art School from 1889 under Frank Morley Fletcher
and briefly at the Académie Julian
in Paris
in 1903. In 1908 he accepted an appointment at the Edinburgh College of Art
, where he taught for a few years. He traveled several times to India between 1912 and 1927 and is noted for his prints of Benares
on the River Ganges. Between 1905 and 1946 E.S. Lumsden produced some 350 etchings most of which are represented in a collection held in the Burnaby Art Gallery, British Columbia, Canada. He always printed his own plates.
Lumsden was elected an associate of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers
in 1909 and raised to the full membership in 1915;. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy
in 1923 and a full member in 1933; and he was President of the Society of Artist Printers from 1929 to 1947.
In 1925 the publishers Seeley Service issued what is still regarded as the seminal treatise on the subject of etching, called The Art of Etching. In the book Lumsden describes the various techniques of intaglio
printing using etching
, drypoint
, mezzotint
and aquatint
; he describes the history and development of etching through Rembrandt, Goya and the etching revival
; and he reproduced personal, illustrated notes from several eminent etchers of the period on their techniques including: Marius Bauer
, Frank Benson
, Muirhead Bone
, George Clausen
, David Young Cameron
, Frank Short
, Augustus John
, Frank Brangwyn
, James McBey
, Edmund Blampied
, Percy Smith, Christopher Nevinson, Laura Knight
, and John Everett. The book was published as a trade edition, which is still in print, and as a limited edition of 150 copies containing four original etchings by Lumsden.
In 1913 E.S. Lumsden married Mabel Allington Royds
, a noted artist in woodcuts. They had a daughter.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 22 December 1883, died Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, 29 September 1948 aged 64 years, was a distinguished painter, noted etcher and authority on etching.
He studied at Reading Art School from 1889 under Frank Morley Fletcher
Frank Morley-Fletcher
Frank Morley Fletcher was a British painter and printmaker known primarily for his role in introducing Japanese colored woodcut printing as an important genre in Western art....
and briefly at the Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1903. In 1908 he accepted an appointment at the Edinburgh College of Art
Edinburgh College of Art
Edinburgh College of Art is an art school in Edinburgh, Scotland, providing tertiary education in art and design disciplines for over two thousand students....
, where he taught for a few years. He traveled several times to India between 1912 and 1927 and is noted for his prints of Benares
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
on the River Ganges. Between 1905 and 1946 E.S. Lumsden produced some 350 etchings most of which are represented in a collection held in the Burnaby Art Gallery, British Columbia, Canada. He always printed his own plates.
Lumsden was elected an associate of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers
Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers
The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, until 1991 the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers is an art institution based in London, England. The Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers was a society of etchers established in London in 1880 and given a Royal Charter in 1888...
in 1909 and raised to the full membership in 1915;. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy
Royal Scottish Academy
The Royal Scottish Academy is a Scottish organisation that promotes contemporary Scottish art. Founded in 1826, as the Royal Institution for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts, the RSA maintains a unique position in Scotland as an independently funded institution led by eminent artists and...
in 1923 and a full member in 1933; and he was President of the Society of Artist Printers from 1929 to 1947.
In 1925 the publishers Seeley Service issued what is still regarded as the seminal treatise on the subject of etching, called The Art of Etching. In the book Lumsden describes the various techniques of intaglio
Intaglio (printmaking)
Intaglio is a family of printmaking techniques in which the image is incised into a surface, known as the matrix or plate, and the incised line or area holds the ink. Normally, copper or zinc plates are used as a surface, and the incisions are created by etching, engraving, drypoint, aquatint or...
printing using etching
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
, drypoint
Drypoint
Drypoint is a printmaking technique of the intaglio family, in which an image is incised into a plate with a hard-pointed "needle" of sharp metal or diamond point. Traditionally the plate was copper, but now acetate, zinc, or plexiglas are also commonly used...
, mezzotint
Mezzotint
Mezzotint is a printmaking process of the intaglio family, technically a drypoint method. It was the first tonal method to be used, enabling half-tones to be produced without using line- or dot-based techniques like hatching, cross-hatching or stipple...
and aquatint
Aquatint
Aquatint is an intaglio printmaking technique, a variant of etching.Intaglio printmaking makes marks on the matrix that are capable of holding ink. The inked plate is passed through a printing press together with a sheet of paper, resulting in a transfer of the ink to the paper...
; he describes the history and development of etching through Rembrandt, Goya and the etching revival
Etching revival
The Etching Revival is the name given by at the time, and by art historians, to the renaissance of etching as an original form of printmaking during a period of time stretching approximately from 1850 to 1930.-Historical outline:...
; and he reproduced personal, illustrated notes from several eminent etchers of the period on their techniques including: Marius Bauer
Marius Bauer
Marius Alexander Jacques Bauer was a Dutch painter and printmaker. He was a member of the Pulchri Studio in The Hague. Later in his life he was created a Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau....
, Frank Benson
Frank Weston Benson
Frank Weston Benson, frequently referred to as Frank W. Benson, was an American artist from Salem, Massachusetts known for his Realistic portraits, American Impressionist paintings, watercolors and etchings. He began his career painting portraits of distinguished families and murals for the...
, Muirhead Bone
Muirhead Bone
Sir Muirhead Bone was a Scottish etcher, drypoint and watercolour artist.The son of a printer, Bone was born in Glasgow and trained initially as an architect, later going on to study art at Glasgow School of Art. He began printmaking in 1898, and although his first known print was a lithograph, he...
, George Clausen
George Clausen
Sir George Clausen RA , was an artist working in oil and watercolour, etching, mezzotint, dry point and occasionally lithographs. He was knighted in 1927.-Biography:...
, David Young Cameron
David Young Cameron
Sir David Young Cameron was a Scottish painter and etcher.-Biography:Cameron was the son of the Rev. Robert Cameron and was born in Glasgow, Scotland. From around 1881 he studied at the Glasgow School of Art and in 1885 enrolled at the Edinburgh Schools of Art...
, Frank Short
Francis Job Short
Francis Job Short RA was a printmaker and teacher of printmaking. He revived the practices of mezzotint and aquatint engraving, and also wrote about printmaking to educate a wider public.-Biography:...
, Augustus John
Augustus John
Augustus Edwin John OM, RA, was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a short time around 1910, he was an important exponent of Post-Impressionism in the United Kingdom....
, Frank Brangwyn
Frank Brangwyn
Sir Frank William Brangwyn RA RWS RBA was an Anglo-Welsh artist, painter, water colourist, virtuoso engraver and illustrator, and progressive designer.- Biography :...
, James McBey
James McBey
James McBey was a self-taught artist and etcher whose prints were highly valued during the later stages of the etching revival in the early 20th century....
, Edmund Blampied
Edmund Blampied
Edmund Blampied was one of the most eminent artists to come from the Channel Islands, yet he received no formal training in art until he was 16 years old...
, Percy Smith, Christopher Nevinson, Laura Knight
Laura Knight
Dame Laura Knight, DBE was an English Impressionist painter known for painting the world of London's theatre, ballet and circus.-Early life and education:...
, and John Everett. The book was published as a trade edition, which is still in print, and as a limited edition of 150 copies containing four original etchings by Lumsden.
In 1913 E.S. Lumsden married Mabel Allington Royds
Mabel Allington Royds
Mabel Royds was an English artist most known for her woodcuts. She grew up in Liverpool and studied art at the Slade School in London. Unable to afford traditional pear wood boards from which woodcuts were commonly made, she purchased breadboards from Woolworths on which to create her works. ...
, a noted artist in woodcuts. They had a daughter.