Allan Cunningham - monument stipple engraving 1869

Allan Cunningham - monument stipple engraving 1869

"In Remembrance of ALLAN CUNNINGHAM - The biographer of Burns", a superb high quality stipple steel plate engraving on nice heavy paper. Reverse side blank. This fine stipple engraving has a popping 3D effect and is a fine statuary piece for framing.

This piece shows the monument in the cemetery at Kensel Green for Allan Cunningham.

Allan Cunningham (December 7, 1784 - October 30, 1842) was a Scottish poet and author.

He was born at Keir, near Dalswinton, Dumfriesshire, and first worked as a stone mason's apprentice. His father was a neighbour of Robert Burns at Ellisland, and Allan with his brother James visited James Hogg, the "Ettrick shepherd", who became a friend to both. He was apprenticed to a stonemason, but gave his leisure to reading and writing imitations of old Scottish ballads. Cunningham contributed some songs to Roche's Literary Recreations in 1807, and in 1809 he collected old ballads for Robert Hartley Cromek's Remains of Nithsdale and Galloway Song; he sent in, however, poems of his own, which the editor inserted, even though he may have suspected their real authorship. It gained for him the friendship of Walter Scott and Hogg.

In 1810 Cunningham went to London, where he worked as a parliamentary reporter and journalist till 1814, when he became clerk of the works in the studio of the sculptor, Francis Chantrey, a post he kept until Chantrey's death in 1841. Cunningham meanwhile continued to write, three novels, a life of Sir D. Wilkie, and Lives of Eminent British Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, besides many songs. His prose is often spoiled by its misplaced and too ambitious rhetoric; his verse also is ornate, and both are full of mannerisms, Some of his songs, however, hold a high place among British lyrics. A Wet Sheet and a Flowing Sea is one of the best British sea-songs, although written by a landsman; and many other of Cunningham's songs became popular. He also brought out an edition of Robert Burns' Works.

He was married to Jean Walker, who had been servant in a house where he lived, and they had five sons and one daughter, all of whom rose to important positions, and inherited in some degree his literary gifts. Among them were Joseph Davey Cunningham, Alexander Cunningham, Peter Cunningham and Francis Cunningham.





This is a very fine piece with crisp sharp lines and tones which are impossible to represent quality-wise with digital pictures.



Engraved by R. A. Artlett after the monument by M. L. Watson. Sheet size approx. 12" x 9". Printed circa 1869.



Due to age, some minor foxing and toning may be present, please view pictures.



Suitable for framing.