M 



R. SARTAIN was born in London, where as a boy he witnessed 

 the Peace Jubilee and saw many picturesque phases of old London 

 and its life which have since disappeared. He studied under Var- 

 ley and Richter, and began to engrave in Ottley's school. In this country 



his associations were literary as well as artis- 

 tic. He knew Washington Irving and others 

 of the Knickerbocker literary circle, and his 

 close relations with Edgar Allan Poe form the 

 subject of a most interesting chapter. His 

 "Reminiscences" include personal phases of 

 the development of American art and letters 

 for over sixty years, and the unpublished 

 history which he presents is of most intimate 

 interest. Mr. Sartain's career as editor of 

 Sartain's Union Magazine and other periodi- 

 cals, in addition to his high standing as an 

 engraver, furnished exceptional opportunities 

 for a peculiarly rich acquaintanceship with 

 men and women of distinction. The illustra- 

 tions include reproductions of rare old prints of London scenes in the 

 first quarter of the century, together with American portraits and pictures 

 which have a lasting historical interest. 





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