Etching
Signed Limited Edition 81/150
Date: 1900
Height: 13.5 ins / 34.29 cm
Width: 11.5 ins / 29.21 cm
Price: £875

CECIL ALDIN
1870 – 1935

Cecil Aldin was born in Slough on 28th April 1870. He had two brothers, Arthur & Percy. His father was a keen amateur artist, so Cecil started drawing at a very young age, He boarded at Eastbourne College on the Sussex Coast and then moved to the less expensive Solihull Grammar School when things changed financially at home. 

His mother wanted him to enter the church. His father was an amateur artist, of which there are no examples of his work left today, and insisted Cecil be allowed to start on formal art training. 

He attended the National Art Training School, South Kensington, where he was able to study anatomy of animals. He was influenced greatly by John Leech and Randolph Caldecott during the 1880's. 

One teacher of his instilled in him the golden rule that the only true pictures were those drawn from life. There were plenty of dogs and horses in London at the time, but Cecil wanted to try his hand at other animals also. Where to find them? He found many at Regent's Park Zoo. He turned out many drawings and stored them, like money in the bank, and the visits to the zoo helped to swell his portfolio. 

Cecil had much firsthand experience of animals, surrounded by horses, dogs and hounds for most of his life. He was a Master of Foxhounds, carried the horn with harriers, beagles and bassets. Money earned from his drawings was used to indulge in his second passion of countryside and the chase. He was as likely to be seen sketching from the saddle as chasing a fox, stag or hare!