The Impressed Image
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Arthur Briscoe (Birkenhead 1873 - 1943 Chelmsford)
The rise and fall of Briscoe in the 1925-35 period is a salutary tale of how the Art Market can be driven by the
effects of 'filthy lucre' and just like any market underpinned by investment for financial gain can crash almost
overnight. The son of a prominent Liverpool businessman in the cotton trade, he showed an aptitude for drawing at
an early age, but no obvious interest in art until announcing his intention to study at the Slade rather than adopt
the life of a landed gentleman afforded him by his parents wealth.
Initially influenced by the pre-Raphaelites he
undertook illustrative work in addition to painting. Encouraged by Philip Steer to try coastal Essex as a subject
for his paintings he was introduced to sailing, and so begun a lifelong passion for small boats and sailing the
coastal waters of Britain, the Low Countries and France. He owned a succession of traditional yachts and for many
years amused himself travelling, enjoying life and painting when it suited him. He served in the RNVR in WW1 and
returned to cruising after it.
In 1923 Briscoe came across some unused copper plates dating from his student days
in Paris and started etching. James McBey - also a keen sailor encouraged him and so at the age of 50 he embarked
on a mercurial career that within a few years confirmed him as possibly the greatest of all marine etchers. Harold
Dickins published his work from 1925 and the early plates rapidly sold out. Subsequent etchings were equally
rapidly snapped up and reappeared within months at up to ten times the selling price. Such was the speculation at
this time that Briscoe was one of a handful of artists who's work was often bought before it was printed and offered
sale at auction almost the day it was physically in the buyers hands!
By 1930 Dickins had published 47 plates but from
1928 sales had been declining, particularly in Britain. In 1932 Dickins suggested dropping prices, and US sales were
only being propped up by the low value of the pound. In 1933/34 he made no profit from sales at all. In 1934 Dickins
reluctantly returned all the unsold proofs to Briscoe, and he turned to Colnaghis to publish them with limited success.
In all he produced 297 plates, of which about 100 exist in only a few unpublished copies - usually trials that were
abandoned for later versions. For the rest, editions were usually 75 and are nearly always signed in ink.
'Clewlines and Buntlines', published in 1925 at £5 5s was selling less than a year later at auction for £127! (a good
house in 1925 only cost £500). By 1929 this had dropped to £46, by 1934 was £20 and by the post war years this
figure had probably halved again. Like many fine etchers of the twenties, he has only come to prominence again in
the last 25 years.
Nearly all his etching are bold, accurate and meticulously composed works. This is typical. I think half a dozen in a
collection would more than adequately represent his output, as the subject matter for the 'non-sailor' becomes a
bit repetitive. In fact it is our Nautical friends and their obsessions that account for the somwhat inflated
prices of both these and those of Messrs Wyllie, Langmaid et al.!
The Fore T'Gallantsail
Etching 1927 No. 37 from the edition of 75
Laver 93. Published price of 12 guineas.
223x300mm
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