John Flaxman

About this work

This is a black-and-white portrait of an older man with curly hair and a serious expression. He’s wearing a high-collared coat, and his face is lit from the front, making his features clear. The background is plain and dark, so all the focus stays on him. The image is an engraving, which means it was etched into a metal plate and then printed. This method was common in the 1800s for making detailed portraits. Look up etching to see how artists carve fine lines into metal to create prints like this one.