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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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Trying to get animal from its burrow

Trying to get animal from its burrow (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Scenes of the hunters’ life

Scenes of the hunters’ life (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Hunting dogs attacking a bear

Hunting dogs attacking a bear (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Chaos in the hunt

Chaos in the hunt (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
People on a carriage watching dogs chasing a rabbit

People on a carriage watching dogs chasing a rabbit (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Race with a carriage

Race with a carriage (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Releasing the dogs for hunting

Releasing the dogs for hunting (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Sportsmen within an enclosure

Sportsmen within an enclosure (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Successful fox hunting

Successful fox hunting (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Fox hunting

Fox hunting (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Hunters before hunting

Hunters before hunting (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Mounted hunter with three hounds running behind

Mounted hunter with three hounds running behind (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Badger hunting; dogs chasing and attacking badgers

Badger hunting; dogs chasing and attacking badgers (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Running hounds

Running hounds (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Birds of fowling

Birds of fowling (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Hunting scene (dogs ready to hounddown)

Hunting scene (dogs ready to hounddown) (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Dogs chasing pheasants

Dogs chasing pheasants (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Hunters training their horses

Hunters training their horses (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Mounted sportsmen

Mounted sportsmen (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Hounds

Hounds (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
A hunter with dogs chasing a stag

A hunter with dogs chasing a stag (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Hunters with their dogs

Hunters with their dogs (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Scene of the hunters’ life

Scene of the hunters’ life (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Hunting dogs

Hunting dogs (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
A hunter with rabbits

A hunter with rabbits (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Fishing

Fishing (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Dogs chasing birds

Dogs chasing birds (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Mounted hunter, running dogs and a fox

Mounted hunter, running dogs and a fox (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Heads of dogs, horses and of a man

Heads of dogs, horses and of a man (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
Hunters, animals, birds

Hunters, animals, birds (1817-1818)

Henry Thomas Alken (English, 1785 – 1851)
Illustration
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