Young Mother
1936
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
engraving in black on wove paper
Dimensions
plate: 13 × 10 cm (5 1/8 × 3 15/16 in.) sheet: 23.3 × 22.5 cm (9 3/16 × 8 7/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift from Clare Calder and her sister Rachel Austin
Accession Number
2012.5.16
Art Historical Context
**Young Mother** (1936) is a delicate engraving by British artist Robert Austin, a master of the interwar printmaking revival. Created on wove paper—a smooth, versatile surface ideal for capturing fine details—this intimate work measures just 13 × 10 cm on the plate, inviting close contemplation. Austin, known for his precise line work and affiliation with the Royal Society of-Etchers and Engr, often depicted everyday human moments with quiet emotional depth, reflecting the era's focus on domestic life amid economic uncertainty. Engraving, Austin's chosen medium, involves incising lines into ...
About the Artist
Robert Austin
Robert Sargent Austin RA PPRWS PPRE (1895–1973) was a preeminent British engraver, draughtsman, illustrator, and painter, born in Leicester, England, where his prodigious talent emerged early—at just eight years old, he exhibited with the Royal Drawing Society.) He trained first at the Leicester Municipal School of Art from 1909 to 1913, then at the Royal College of Art from 1914–1916 and 1919–192...