30 ANIMAL PAINTERS 



been remunerative, for Henry Gordon Aiken was 

 in needy circumstances for many years before his 

 deatii, being indebted to friends for support. He 

 was in receipt of parochial relief when he died in 

 London at the age of 82 in the year 1892. 



Samuel Alken was born about the year 

 1750 ; we first find him resident in London, and re- 

 ceiving mention not as a painter, but as an engraver 

 in aquatint in connection with C. M. Metz, James 

 Daniel, Daniel and Robert Havell, John Black- 

 more, F. C. Lewis and John Hill, all of whom are 

 known as engravers. The art, at this period, had 

 made great strides ; engravers had discovered the 

 artistic value of "tone," the effect produced by 

 keeping flesh and coloured parts of a lower tint 

 than pure white details or accessories such as linen ; 

 they had also learned discrimination in the handling 

 of lights and shadow, and knew what could be done 

 by " biting over again " as the technical phrase has 

 it. This method of engraving was first practised 

 about 1750 by William Walker, who communicated 

 his discovery to William Woollett. 



In 1780, Samuel Aiken's name appears as that 

 of a draughtsman ; at the Royal Academy Exhibi- 

 tion of this year he showed a " Design for a monu- 

 ment." A pair of female figure subjects, which 



