A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society Tile

A lovely print of "A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society" an 1831 oil on canvas painting by English painter Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, RA. Knighted in 1850, Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, RA was an English painter and sculptor who was well known for his paintings of animals and in particular horses, dogs, and stags—his best known works are the lion sculptures in Trafalgar Square. The son of the engraver John Landseer A.R.A., Edwin Henry Landseer (1802–1873) was born in London. Landseer was something of a genius whose creative talents were recognised early. He studied under several artists, including his father, and the history painter Benjamin Haydon. Haydon encouraged the young Landseer to perform dissections in order to fully understand animal musculature and skeletal structure. In 1815, at the age of just 13, Landseer exhibited his work at the Royal Academy and at the age of 24 was elected an Associate there and an Academician in 1831. Later on, in 1866, Landseer was elected President but declined the offer. It is believed that in his late 30s Landseer suffered a significant nervous breakdown that would plague him the rest of his life with recurring bouts of melancholy, hypochondria, and depression. In the last years of his life Landseer's mental stability was a challenge, and at the request of his family he was declared insane in July of 1872.