Andrew Picken (lithographer)

He was the second of the four sons of Andrew Picken the novelist, and brother of Thomas Ashburton Picken the lithographer.[1] He became a pupil of Louis Haghe, and in 1835 received from the Society of Arts their silver Isis medal for a lithographic drawing of the ruins of the Houses of Parliament after the fire of 1834. In the same year he exhibited, at the Royal Academy, a view of a tomb in Narbonne Cathedral. [1]

Picken then established himself as a lithographer, and had earned a reputation by the excellent quality of his work when in 1837 his health broke down. His lungs were affected, and he was sent to Madeira. During a residence of two years he drew a series of views of the island, which, on his return to England, were published under the title Madeira Illustrated, 1840, with interesting letterpress edited from his notes by James Macaulay.[1]

Madeira, Canyon of Sao Jorge, by Andrew Picken

After a short break Picken found it necessary to revisit Madeira; but his disease was terminal, he came back to London, and he died there on 24 June 1845. During his brief career he executed on stone a large number of landscapes, mainly illustrations to books of travel and private commissions.[1]

• Media related to Andrew Picken at Wikimedia Commons

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1896). "Picken, Andrew (1815-1845)". Dictionary of National Biography. 45. London: Smith, Elder & Co.