20 ANIMAL PAINTERS 



before or since. Aiken's original pictures or prints 

 therefrom are to be seen on the walls of dwellings 

 of every class throughout England, from the ducal 

 castle to the humblest country inn ; sure testimony, 

 not only to the skill, but to the close technical 

 accuracy of his drawings. He was essentially 

 an artist of the country, for there are few of his 

 creations that do not deal with those field sports 

 or phases of rural life which appeal to all classes of 

 Englishmen. 



Lord Middleton has in his collection of pictures 

 at Birdsall, four tinted drawings by Henry Aiken. 



A contemporary publication gives "A brief sketch 

 of our worthy friend, old Aiken, with his broad- 

 brimmed low-crowned hat, his frock of Kendal 

 green spotted with broad gold buttons, his rustic 

 waistcoat with its low cut and old fashioned pockets, 

 his brown cloth kickseys and his ditto gaiters, his 

 thick-soled shoes and sturdy walking-staff ; in gait 

 and altogether in appearance, the perfect inhabitant 

 of those country scenes which he so skilfully 

 depicts." 



Henry Aiken married in 1809, Maria Gordon, 

 the ceremony taking place at St. Clement's Church, 

 Ipswich. He left three sons : Henry Gordon 

 Aiken, who requires passing notice ; George, who 

 was born in 181 2 and was found drowned in the 

 Thames at Woolwich in 1862 ; and Seffrien, who 



