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Henry Thomas Alken
Henry Thomas Alken

Henry Thomas Alken

English, 1785 – 1851
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Henry Thomas Alken was an English painter and engraver chiefly known as a caricaturist and illustrator of sporting subjects and coaching scenes. His most prolific period of painting and drawing occurred between 1816 and 1831.

Alken was born on 12 October 1785 in Soho, Westminster, and baptised on 6 November at St James's Church, Piccadilly. He was the third son of Samuel Alken, a sporting artist. Two of his brothers were George and Samuel Alken the Younger, also an artist. In 1789, the Alken family moved from Soho to 2, Francis Street East, Bedford Square.

Young Henry first studied under his father and then with the miniature painter John Thomas Barber Beaumont (1774–1841), also known as J. T. Barber. In 1801, Alken sent a miniature portrait of Miss Gubbins to the Royal Academy Exhibition. He exhibited a second miniature at the Royal Academy before abandoning miniature painting and taking on painting and illustrating. Early in his career, he painted sporting subjects under the name of "Ben Tally-O". Alken married Maria Gordon on 14 October 1809 at St Clement's Church, Ipswich. On 22 August of the following year later the couple's first son was baptised. Alken went on to father five children, of whom two were artists, Samuel Henry, also a sporting artist, known as Henry Alken junior, and Sefferien junior.

From about 1816 onwards Alken "produced an unending stream of paintings, drawings and engravings of every type of field and other sporting activity," and his soft-ground etchings were often colored by hand. When Alken was 26, he and his young family lived over a shop in Haymarket that belonged to print publisher Thomas McLean of the "Repository of Wit and Humour." McLean paid Alken a daily wage of thirty shillings, considered a good income at the time.

Alken died in April 1851 and was buried in Highgate cemetery. Although fairly affluent for most of his career, he fell on hard times towards the end of his life and was buried at his daughter's expense.

444 items

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‘Scraps’, no. 32: Two Mamelukes Talking, One Mounted

‘Scraps’, no. 32: Two Mamelukes Talking, One Mounted (1823)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
‘Scraps’, no. 33: Mounted Mameluke Brandishing a Sword

‘Scraps’, no. 33: Mounted Mameluke Brandishing a Sword (1823)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
‘Scraps’, no. 34: Mounted Mameluke Pointing a Pistol

‘Scraps’, no. 34: Mounted Mameluke Pointing a Pistol (1823)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
‘Scraps’, no. 35: Mounted Mameluke with Bamboo Spear

‘Scraps’, no. 35: Mounted Mameluke with Bamboo Spear

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
‘Scraps’, No. 39: Mounted Hussars

‘Scraps’, No. 39: Mounted Hussars (1823)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
‘Scraps’, No. 8: Scenes of a Lancer and Other Cavalry

‘Scraps’, No. 8: Scenes of a Lancer and Other Cavalry (1823)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Self-Portrait, Full Face Looking Downwards to Right, Wearing a Top Hat

Self-Portrait, Full Face Looking Downwards to Right, Wearing a Top Hat

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Snipe Shooting

Snipe Shooting

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
‘Sporting Anecdotes:’ Sketch for ‘The Sporting Butcher’

‘Sporting Anecdotes:’ Sketch for ‘The Sporting Butcher’

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
‘Sporting Anecodotes:’ Drawing for the Soft-Gound Etching of ‘The Sporting Butcher’

‘Sporting Anecodotes:’ Drawing for the Soft-Gound Etching of ‘The Sporting Butcher’

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
‘Sporting Incidents:’ Drawing For the Soft-gound Etching of ‘Panther Hunting’

‘Sporting Incidents:’ Drawing For the Soft-gound Etching of ‘Panther Hunting’

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
‘Sporting Incidents:’ Drawing For the Soft-ground Etching of ‘Through the Wood’

‘Sporting Incidents:’ Drawing For the Soft-ground Etching of ‘Through the Wood’

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Sporting Notions: ‘All He Is Fit For Sir, Now is to Be Cut Up. I Have a Notion That He Can’t Be Cut up More Than Myself’

Sporting Notions: ‘All He Is Fit For Sir, Now is to Be Cut Up. I Have a Notion That He Can’t Be Cut up More Than Myself’ (between 1831 and 1832)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Sporting Notions: ‘I Had No Notion of the Comforts of Hunting by Water’

Sporting Notions: ‘I Had No Notion of the Comforts of Hunting by Water’ (between 1831 and 1832)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Sporting Notions: ‘I Have a Notion That I Don’t Look Unlike Mazeppa’

Sporting Notions: ‘I Have a Notion That I Don’t Look Unlike Mazeppa’ (between 1831 and 1832)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Sporting Notions: ‘I Have a Notion That My Horse Looks Like 40 Guineas in the Pound’

Sporting Notions: ‘I Have a Notion That My Horse Looks Like 40 Guineas in the Pound’ (between 1831 and 1832)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Sporting Notions: ‘I Have a Notion This Bridge Will A-Bridge My Sport’

Sporting Notions: ‘I Have a Notion This Bridge Will A-Bridge My Sport’ (between 1831 and 1832)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Sporting Notions: ‘I Have a Notion This May be Called ‘Riding to the Hounds at a Smashing Rate”

Sporting Notions: ‘I Have a Notion This May be Called ‘Riding to the Hounds at a Smashing Rate” (between 1831 and 1832)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Sporting Notions: ‘I Have a Notion You Must Either Pull Him Over or Persuade Him to Pull You Back Again’

Sporting Notions: ‘I Have a Notion You Must Either Pull Him Over or Persuade Him to Pull You Back Again’ (between 1831 and 1832)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Sporting Notions: ‘It’s My Notion That This is the Only Way to Get Her Along’

Sporting Notions: ‘It’s My Notion That This is the Only Way to Get Her Along’ (between 1831 and 1832)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Sporting Notions: ‘My Good Fellows Have You any Notion Where You Can Get a Saw’

Sporting Notions: ‘My Good Fellows Have You any Notion Where You Can Get a Saw’ (between 1831 and 1832)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Sporting Notions: ‘My Notion is We Shall Get Him up Pretty Shortly What is Your Notion: I’ve Worked so Hard that I Hav’nt a Notion in Me’

Sporting Notions: ‘My Notion is We Shall Get Him up Pretty Shortly What is Your Notion: I’ve Worked so Hard that I Hav’nt a Notion in Me’ (between 1831 and 1832)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Sporting Notions: ‘This Gives Me a Notion it’s Better to ‘Look Before You Leap”

Sporting Notions: ‘This Gives Me a Notion it’s Better to ‘Look Before You Leap” (between 1831 and 1832)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Sporting Satirist

Sporting Satirist (1834)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Stout and Plain Country Girl Being Courted by a Yodel with Pitchfork

Stout and Plain Country Girl Being Courted by a Yodel with Pitchfork

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Studies of Anglers

Studies of Anglers

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Study of Children

Study of Children

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Symptoms: of a Few Neat Ones going to a Mill, of Returning from the Epping Hunt.

Symptoms: of a Few Neat Ones going to a Mill, of Returning from the Epping Hunt. (between 1818 and 1822)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Symptoms: of a Great One, of a Fine One, of a Queer One, of a Save All, of a View on Brighton Cliff, of Just Got Over a Gate,

Symptoms: of a Great One, of a Fine One, of a Queer One, of a Save All, of a View on Brighton Cliff, of Just Got Over a Gate, (between 1822 and 1827)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
Symptoms: of Being Bang Up, of a Fine Woman, of Being Bang Down, Of a Quiet One.

Symptoms: of Being Bang Up, of a Fine Woman, of Being Bang Down, Of a Quiet One. (between 1818 and 1822)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Drawings
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