1874
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Sir Seymour Haden is a 1874 ink by Alphonse Legros, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This is a black-and-white portrait of an older man in profile. His face is lit from the side, showing deep shadows on one cheek and a smooth forehead. He wears a high-collared shirt, and his hair is thin and slightly wavy. The artist used a printmaking method called *mezzotint*, which creates soft, textured tones—notice how the dark background blends into his skin. This style was popular in the 1800s for its ability to show subtle lighting. Look up the technique *chiaroscuro* next to see how light and shadow shape faces in other artworks.
Alphonse Legros (French pronunciation: ; 8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist.
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