HENRY ALKEN 5 



Henry Aiken's name first occurs in the catalogue 

 of the Royal Academy exhibition for 1801, when 

 he was only sev^enteen years of age ; the work sent 

 was a miniature " Portrait of Miss Gubbins," and it 

 may be added that his first Royal Academy picture 

 was also his last, for in no subsequent catalogue 

 does his name appear. Miss Lanham states that 

 he had the strongest objection to criticism of his 

 works, and for this reason refused to exhibit his 

 pictures, much to the sorrow of his relatives. He 

 owed his early education in art to his father, 

 and, it is thought probable, to his uncle Samuel. 

 Although it is not definitely known that Henry 

 received instruction from Samuel Aiken, careful 

 comparison between the works of the two, more 

 especially of the younger man's earlier pictures 

 with contemporary pictures by his uncle, leaves 

 practically no doubt on the point. The influence 

 of the senior is apparent nowhere more plainly 

 than in the pencil drawings ; delicacy of touch 

 is apparent in Samuel Aiken's pencil work, and 

 the extreme delicacy of Henry's pencil drawings 

 indicates that he profited by his uncle's example, 

 and in time surpassed him in execution. 



It must be added, however, that at the time 

 of his first and only appearance on the walls of 

 the Academy his address is given as at " J. T. 

 Barber's, miniature painter to the Duke of Kent, 



