Samuel Alken
Samuel Alken Sr. (22 October 1756 in London – 9 November 1815 in London) was an English artist, a leading exponent of the newly developed technique of aquatint.
Also recorded as Samuel I Alken · Samuel Alkin · Sr. Samuel Alken · Samuel, I Alken
Samuel Alken
- Name
- Samuel Alken
- Born
- 22 October 1756
- Birthplace
- London, UK
- Died
- 9 November 1815 (aged 59)
- Training
- Royal Academy Schools
- Known for
- aquatint
- Nationality
- Kingdom of Great Britain · United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Occupation
- painter · engraver · printmaker · architect
- Fields
- landscape
- Education
- Royal Academy of Arts
- Languages
- English
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Documentary connections
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q671917 · wikipedia · Samuel Alken
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek · Getty Union List of Artist Names
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Biography
Biography
Samuel Alken studied at Royal Academy of Arts. The recorded working language is English. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are landscape. Work by Samuel Alken is recorded in the collections of Minneapolis Institute of Art, Tate, National Gallery of Victoria, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec and National Library of Wales.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Samuel Alken • Born — 22 October 1756 • Birthplace — London, UK • Died — 9 November 1815 (aged 59) • Place of death — London, UK • Training — Royal Academy Schools • Known for — aquatint
Documentary record
Samuel Alken was a “Druckgrafiker”, architect, painter, wood carver, designer, woodcarver, engraver, art theorist, genre artist, draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor, born in 1756 in London and died in 1815 in London. Both events are recorded by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek and the Getty Union List of Artist Names.
History
History
Samuel Alken entered the Royal Academy Schools, London, as a sculptor in 1772. He published A New Book of Ornaments Designed and Etched by Samuel Alken in 1779, and later established himself as one of the most competent engravers in the new technique of aquatint. His works included plates after George Morland, Richard Wilson, Thomas Rowlandson and Francis Wheatley. His plates for Sixteen views of the lakes in Cumberland and Westmorland after drawings John Emes and John Smith were published in 1796, and a set of aquatint views of North Wales after drawings by the Rev. Brian Broughton in 1798.
Relatives
Relatives
The Alken family claims several well-known artists.
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
The authorities additionally record the headings Samuel I Alken, Samuel Alkin, Sr. Samuel Alken, Samuel, I Alken and Samuel, Sr. His recorded language was English. He was the child of Sefferin Alken. 4 children are recorded: Samuel Alken, Henry Thomas Alken, Sefferein Alken and George Alken.
Identity
Identity
Newegal Sands, St. Recognition and collections.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1756
Samuel Alken born at London.
1815
Samuel Alken died at London.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q671917: Samuel Alken
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
- “Samuel Alken”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
- VIAF cluster 41142021 for Samuel Alken, aggregating national library name authorities.
General reference · OCLC
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Samuel Alken, revision 1364707837 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.The Grove Dictionary of Art David Alexander on Samuel Alken at artnet.com
- 2.Alken, Samuel.
- 3.List Of New Publications, And New Editions. The Register of the Times, or: Political Museum. 6. 67. 1795.
- 4.Yale Center For British Art. Sixteen views of the lakes in Cumberland and Westmorland.
- 5.British Museum. Conway Castle, Carnarvonshire / Six Picturesque Views in North Wales.
- 6.The Grove Dictionary of Art on Alken at artnet.com
Bibliography printed in the source article · 2
- S. T. Prideaux: Aquatint Engraving (London, 1909, rev. 1968)
- M. D. George: A Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires, London, B.M. cat., vii (London, 1942)
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Secondary witnessreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q671917: Samuel AlkenWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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