Axel H. Haig

Axel Herman Haig was a painter, printmaker, illustrator and architect, was born in Gotland, Sweden. He is considered the "Piranesi of the Gothic Revival." Haig was given art lessons as child, but ultimately began life as an apprentice shipbuilder. He started on the docks of Karlskrona and later moved to Glasgow for further study. By 1859, however, he had grown weary of ship designs and became an apprentice at Ecclesiastical Commissioners to be an architectural draughtsman. His work was well received across the U.K. and Italy. 

When he wasn't drafting architectural designs, Haig was producing watercolors and prints of Europe's cathedrals, palaces and other such entities. His acute attention to detail and ability to replicate Europe's Gothic architecture, with a hint of romanticism, is what led to the comparison to Piranesi.