OUR WOOD ENGRAVERS. -199 



the elder Branston's apprentice, who we believe began wood-engraving, 

 shortly after, or perhaps about the same time as his highly gifted 

 master, is now, and has for some time past, been at the very summit 

 of his art. 



The elder Branston and Thompson gradually established a school 

 of wood-engraving in the metropolis ; and, assisted by the taste and 

 talent of Thurston the designer, advanced their art far towards its 

 present state of excellence. Clennell, and Nisbett, a northern 

 man, a pupil of Bewick, the present patriarch of the profession, 

 contributed largely by their skill to its elevation and popularity ; 

 wood-cuts, on account of their vigour and economy, but especially 

 from their capacity of being worked in juxta-position with type, be- 

 came in considerable request, and wood-engravers increased. Thurs- 

 ton drew his thousands, and Craig, an inferior but most prolific artist, 

 his tens of thousands of designs Stothard produced a set of most 

 beautiful illustrations (capitally cut by Clennell) to Rogers' Pleasures 

 of Memory; and wood-engraving not only proudly lifted its head 

 among the existing arts, but gave birth to a new one that of wood- 

 cut printing. This soon proved of the most vital assistance to its 

 parent, and they now go hand-in-hand together. The skill of the 

 artist is in vain exercised without equal talent and finished execution 

 be displayed by the printer indeed, to such a point does this prin- 

 ciple extend, that a beautiful wood-cut, unless worked by an accom- 

 plished printer, will give worse impressions than had it been engraved 

 coarsely and clumsily. Bensley, Maurice, and Whittingham, were 

 among the earliest artists in wood-cut printing, and to the latter gen- 

 tleman in particular our present engravers are very materially in- 

 debted, having, by his great improvements in the mode of taking off 

 impressions, largely extended the range and application of their art. 



To William Harvey, however, the present school is, if possible, 

 under still deeper obligations. A pupil of Bewick, a wood-engraver 

 of the most consummate skill, after having astonished the town by 

 his colossal print of Dentatus, he devoted himself with the most in- 

 domitable zeal to the study and practice of painting. In spite of 

 difficulties that would have disheartened, and vanquishing obstacles 

 that would have defied almost any other man by intense and per- 

 severing study an absorbing devotion to one great object aided by 

 a brilliant imagination exquisite taste facility of execution and 

 that indefineable feeling and perception of the beautiful without 

 which no man can become a great artist, he attained the enviable pri- 

 vilege of being justified in saying " And I, too, am a painter !" 

 Profoundly versed in the principles and practice of his art with a 

 vividness of conception that has never been surpassed and with a 

 perfect knowledge of wood-engraving, of which his predecessor had 

 not the advantage, Harvey succeeded to the throne that had become 

 vacant by the death of Thurston. This event constituted a new 

 era in wood-engraving ; meagre vignettes were followed by rich 

 pictures, displaying magnificent composition vigour in the detail of 

 character powerful simplicity in depicting the subject truth of 

 expression breadth colour air all that could be desired. His 

 designs are heaped with graceful forms his figures are moving illus- 



