Artwork
Professor Huxley, 2nd plate
Professor Huxley, 2nd plate is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Alphonse Legros. It dates from 1874 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Alphonse Legros, a French‑born artist who settled in London in the early 1860s, issued a lithographic portrait titled Professor Huxley, 2nd plate in 1874.
Alphonse Legros, a French‑born artist who settled in London in the early 1860s, issued a lithographic portrait titled Professor Huxley, 2nd plate in 1874. The work presents a half‑length view of a seated man, rendered in a restrained palette of grays that foregrounds his face and upper torso. The composition is straightforward, with the figure looking directly ahead and displaying a calm, neutral expression.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is identified as Thomas Henry Huxley, the prominent 19th‑century biologist and advocate of evolutionary theory. By portraying Huxley in a dignified, unembellished manner, Legros underscores the scholar’s intellectual presence rather than dramatizing his persona, allowing viewers to focus on the individual’s character and status within the scientific community.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the image relies on a nuanced range of tonal grays achieved through careful manipulation of the stone surface. Legros employs deep shading to model the subject’s hair, moustache, and jacket, while a lighter background recedes, creating spatial separation. The overall effect balances realism with the graphic clarity typical of Legros’s printmaking practice.
History & Provenance
Created during Legros’s tenure as a teacher at the Royal Academy of Arts, the lithograph reflects his involvement in the British etching revival. Though initially produced as a second plate after an earlier version, the piece circulated among collectors of scientific portraiture and remains documented in several museum collections that specialize in 19th‑century prints.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Alphonse Legros (French pronunciation:; 8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist.
