The collection at Gallery Oldham holds many works on paper. One printmaker who features prominently in the collection is Thomas Oldham Barlow.

Born in Oldham in 1824 to an ironmonger and his wife, Barlow went on to study at the Manchester School of Design before striking out on his own in London and setting up a studio. He we awarded a certificate admitting him as Associate Engraver of the Royal Academy in 1873 and another making him an Academician in 1881. Barlow did paint as well but is primarily known for his skill as an engraver and etcher.

Barlow created prints using both engraving and etching techniques. Engraving is an artform in which a metal plate is incised by hand using tools to create grooves. In etching these grooves are created by burning lines onto the plates using acid. In both processes, these grooves are made at different angles, depths and widths to create differing effects. They are then filled with ink which is transferred on to paper. Though creating the plate takes time and skill, generating a print from an engraved metal plate is a relatively easy thing to do.

One of the strengths of engraving and etching is the ability to duplicate works of art. Meaning that multiple prints can be created using the same plate. As the number of prints increases, the price generally decreases. Many people who could not normally afford to own works of art such as paintings or sculptures could buy prints. Some printmakers create their own unique designs for their prints, but many, such as Barlow, made printed copies of works by other artists.

One artist whose work Barlow created prints of was John Everett Millais. Millais, a prominent painter of portraits and genre scenes, was a child prodigy who at age 11 was the youngest student to enter the Royal Academy Schools. Barlow met Millais while living in London and went on to create printed copies of well-known paintings by Millais such as Robert Browning, My First Sermon, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and The Bride of Lammermoor. These prints brought Millais’s paintings to a wider audience.

Millais and Barlow seem to have had a close working relationship. In addition to Barlow creating prints after Millais’s famous paintings, Millais painted Barlow. Barlow acted as a model for Millais, notably as the sick ornithologist in Millais’s 1885 painting The Ruling Passion. Millais also painted a portrait of Barlow which is in the collection at Gallery Oldham. In this portrait a spectacled and seated Barlow holds a piece paper, which is likely one of his etchings or engravings. Painted when Barlow was 62 and an established printmaker, the portrait shows a man at the top of his field surrounded by elements of his work. The painting was named ‘Best Portrait’ when it was shown at the Royal Academy in London. It was then donated to Gallery Oldham in 1888, making it one of the most important early acquisitions.