Herring Fleet, Aberdeen

Artist James McBey (Newburgh, Scotland, 1883 - 1959)

Date1908

Mediumetching on paper

ClassificationsMcBey

DimensionsOverall: Height: 17.6 cm, Width: 22.6 cm

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG008074

Keywords

About MeJames McBey was a self-taught artist but became a well-known master of British etching. In etching, the artist covers a metal plate (usually copper) with a substance (or ground) that is resistant to acid. The artist then draws on the ground with a sharp needle, therefore removing the ground wherever the marks are applied. The plate is then dipped into acid, the parts of the plate that have been exposed by the needle marks are eaten away or etched by the acid whereas the rest of the plate is unaffected, protected by the ground. Ink is then spread on the plate and wiped off, so that only the ink that has sunk into the grooves made by the needle is left. The plate is then fed through a printing press with paper and so that the lines from the plate are left on the paper.