William Henry Bartlett
Encyclopedia
William Henry Bartlett was a British
artist
, best known for his numerous steel engraving
s.
, London
in 1809. He was apprenticed to John Britton
(1771–1857), and became one of the foremost illustrators of topography of his generation. He travelled throughout Britain, and in the mid and late 1840s he travelled extensively in the Balkans
and the Middle East
. He made four visits to the United States
between 1835 and 1852.
In 1835, Bartlett first visited the United States in order to draw the buildings, towns and scenery of the northeastern states. The finely detailed steel engravings Bartlett produced were published uncolored with a text by Nathaniel Parker Willis
as American Scenery; or Land, Lake, and River: Illustrations of Transatlantic Nature. American Scenery was published by George Virtue
in London in 30 monthly installments from 1837 to 1839. Bound editions of the work were published from 1840 onward. His impressions of Canada
were collected in Canadian Scenery in 1842.
Bartlett made sepia wash
drawings the exact size to be engraved. His engraved views were widely copied by artists, but no signed oil painting by his hand is known. Engravings based on Bartlett's views were later used in his posthumous History of the United States of North America, continued by Bernard Bolingbroke Woodward
and published around 1856.
William Henry Bartlett died of fever on board of a French
ship off the coast of Malta
returning from his last trip to the Near East
, in 1854.
Bartletts primary concern was to render "lively impressions of actual sights", as he wrote in the preface to The Nile Boat (London, 1849). Many views contain some ruin or element of the past including many scenes of churches, abbeys, cathedrals and castles, and Nathaniel Parker Willis described Bartlett's talent thus: "Bartlett could select his point of view so as to bring prominently into his sketch the castle or the cathedral, which history or antiquity had allowed".
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, best known for his numerous steel engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
s.
Biography
Bartlett was born in Kentish TownKentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1809. He was apprenticed to John Britton
John Britton (antiquary)
-Early life:Britton was born on 7 July 1771 at Kington St. Michael, near Chippenham. His parents were in humble circumstances, and he was left an orphan at an early age. At sixteen he went to London and was apprenticed to a wine merchant. Prevented by ill-health from serving his full term, he found...
(1771–1857), and became one of the foremost illustrators of topography of his generation. He travelled throughout Britain, and in the mid and late 1840s he travelled extensively in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. He made four visits to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
between 1835 and 1852.
In 1835, Bartlett first visited the United States in order to draw the buildings, towns and scenery of the northeastern states. The finely detailed steel engravings Bartlett produced were published uncolored with a text by Nathaniel Parker Willis
Nathaniel Parker Willis
Nathaniel Parker Willis , also known as N. P. Willis, was an American author, poet and editor who worked with several notable American writers including Edgar Allan Poe and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He became the highest-paid magazine writer of his day. For a time, he was the employer of former...
as American Scenery; or Land, Lake, and River: Illustrations of Transatlantic Nature. American Scenery was published by George Virtue
George Virtue
George C. Virtue, Esq. was a 19th-century London publisher, well-known for printing engravings. His publishing house was located at 26 Ivy Lane, Paternoster Row, London, EC.-Pictorial publisher:...
in London in 30 monthly installments from 1837 to 1839. Bound editions of the work were published from 1840 onward. His impressions of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
were collected in Canadian Scenery in 1842.
Bartlett made sepia wash
Wash
Wash may refer to:* Arroyo , also called a wash, a dry creek bed or gulch that temporarily fills with water after a heavy rain* WASH, a water, sanitation and hygiene advocacy campaign initiated by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council...
drawings the exact size to be engraved. His engraved views were widely copied by artists, but no signed oil painting by his hand is known. Engravings based on Bartlett's views were later used in his posthumous History of the United States of North America, continued by Bernard Bolingbroke Woodward
Bernard Bolingbroke Woodward
Bernard Bolingbroke Woodward was an English nonconformist minister, antiquarian, and royal librarian at Windsor Castle.-Life:The eldest son of Samuel Woodward the geologist, he was born at Norwich on 2 May 1816; Samuel Pickworth Woodward was his younger brother...
and published around 1856.
William Henry Bartlett died of fever on board of a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
ship off the coast of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
returning from his last trip to the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
, in 1854.
Bartletts primary concern was to render "lively impressions of actual sights", as he wrote in the preface to The Nile Boat (London, 1849). Many views contain some ruin or element of the past including many scenes of churches, abbeys, cathedrals and castles, and Nathaniel Parker Willis described Bartlett's talent thus: "Bartlett could select his point of view so as to bring prominently into his sketch the castle or the cathedral, which history or antiquity had allowed".