About this artwork
William Strang was a prolific printmaker, working mostly in etching but experimenting with other techniques including drypoint, mezzotint, lithography, aquatint, woodcut and engraving. He practised primarily as a printmaker for the first twenty years of his career, developing his interest in painting only during the second half of his life. Across his lifetime Strang produced over 750 original prints. In this self-effacing early self-portrait he depicted himself holding the tools of his trade - an etching needle and a copper etching plate - and wearing a Tam o'Shanter as an emblem of his nationality.
Updated before 2020
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artist:William Strang (1859 - 1921) Scottish
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title:Self-portrait, No. 6
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date created:1885
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materials:Etching with engraving on paper
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measurements:Platemark: 20.1 x 12.6 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased 1949
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accession number:P 1983
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gallery:
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subject:
William Strang
William Strang
Born in Dumbarton, William Strang was briefly a clerk in the family shipbuilding firm before he entered the Slade School of Art in London in 1876. At the Slade he was deeply influenced by the teaching of Alphonse Legros, particularly the etching class which Legros instituted in 1877. The subject...