George Cooke was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 line engraver

Line engraving

Line engraving is a term for engraved images printed on paper to be used as prints or illustrations. The term is now much less used and when is, it is mainly in connection with 18th or 19th century commercial illustrations for magazines and books, or reproductions of paintings.Steel engraving is...

.

Life and work

Cooke was born in 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 1781. His father was a native of Frankfurt

Frankfurt

Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...

, Germany, who in early life settled in England and became a wholesale confectioner. At the age of fourteen, George Cooke was apprenticed to James Basire

James Basire

James Basire , also known as James Basire Sr., was an English engraver. He is the most significant of a family of engravers, and noted for his apprenticing of the young William Blake....

 (1730-1802). Around the end of his apprenticeship he engraved many plates for Brewer's

James Norris Brewer

James Norris Brewer , was an English topographer and novelist.Brewer was the eldest son of a merchant of London. He wrote many romances and topographical compilations, the best of the latter being his contributions to the series called the 'Beauties of England and Wales.' All the former are now...

 Beauties of England and Wales,' some in conjunction with his elder brother, William Bernard Cooke

William Bernard Cooke

William Bernard Cooke , was an English line engraver.-Life and work:Cooke was born in London in 1778. He was the elder brother of George Cooke , and became a pupil of William Angus , the engraver of the "Seats of the Nobility and Gentry in Great Britain and Wales"...

.

Afterwards, he produced engravings for Pinkerton's

John Pinkerton

John Pinkerton was a Scottish antiquarian, cartographer, author, numismatist, historian, and early advocate of Germanic racial supremacy theory....

 16-volume "Collection of Voyages and Travels", during which his brother William made plans for the first edition of "The Thames", to which George Cooke contributed two plates. This work was followed by "Picturesque Views on the Southern Coast of England", from drawings made principally by Turner. It was commenced in 1814 and completed in 1826, and George Cooke engraved fifteen plates, nearly one-third of the total, and some vignettes

Vignette (graphic design)

Vignettes, in graphic design, are decorative designs usually in books, used both to separate sections or chapters and to decorate borders.In Descriptive, or Analytical Bibliography for the hand-press period a vignette refers to an engraved design printed using a copper-plate press, on a page that...

. Next appeared an improved edition of The Thames, for which he engraved the 'Launch of the Nelson' and the 'Fair on the Thames,' after Luke Clennell

Luke Clennell

Luke Clennell was an English engraver and painter.Born in Morpeth, Northumberland, the son of a farmer, he was apprenticed to the engraver Thomas Bewick in 1797. Between 1799 and 1803 he acted as Bewick's principal assistant on the second volume of the History of British Birds...

, and the 'Opening of Waterloo Bridge,' after Philip Reinagle

Philip Reinagle

Philip Reinagle was an English animal, landscape and botanical painter.- Biography :Philip Reinagle entered the schools of the Royal Academy in 1769, and afterwards became a pupil of Allan Ramsay , whom he assisted in the numerous portraits of George III and Queen Charlotte...

.
Between 1817 and 1833 he produced, in connection with Loddiges

Loddiges

The Loddiges family managed one of the most notable of the eighteenth and nineteenth century plant nurseries that traded in and introduced exotic plants, trees, shrubs, ferns, palms and orchids into European gardens....

 of Hackney

London Borough of Hackney

The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....

, London a number of plates for the "Botanical Cabinet",' and about the same time he engraved some of the plates, after Turner, for Hakewill's "Picturesque Tour of Italy", 1820, and Sir Walter Scott

Walter Scott

Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....

's "Provincial Antiquities and Picturesque Scenery of Scotland", 1826, in which latter work should be especially noted "Edinburgh from the Calton Hill". To these were added plates for Thomas Allason

Thomas Allason

Thomas Allason was an English architect, surveyor and landscaper, noted in particular for his work at Connaught Square and the Ladbroke Estate in Kensington.-Early life:...

's "Antiquities of Pola", 1819, John Spencer-Stanhope's "Olympia", (pub. Rodwell and Martin, 1824), and D'Oyly and Mant

Richard Mant

-Life:He was born at Southampton and educated at Winchester College and at Trinity College, Oxford.He was elected fellow of Oriel in 1798, and afterwards took orders, holding a curacy at Southampton in 1802...

's "Bible", as well as some of those for John Hughes' "Views in the South of France, chiefly on the Rhone", after Peter De Wint

Peter De Wint

Peter De Wint was an English landscape painter.De Wint was the son of an English physician of Dutch extraction who had come to England from New York., he was born in Stone, Staffordshire. He moved to London in 1802, and was apprenticed to John Raphael Smith, the mezzotint engraver and portrait...

.

Besides these he engraved a few plates for the publications of the Dilettanti Society, and for the "Ancient Marbles in the British Museum", and the "Ancient Terracottas" in the same collection, and single plates after Turner of a "View of Gledhow" for Whitaker's "Loidis and Elmete", and "Wentworth House" for Thomas Dunham Whitaker

Thomas Dunham Whitaker

Thomas Dunham Whitaker was an English clergyman and topographer.-Life:Born at Rainham on 8 June 1759, he was son of William Whitaker , curate of Rainham, Norfolk, by his wife Lucy, daughter of Robert Dunham, and widow of Ambrose Allen...

's "History of Richmondshire". He also engraved the "Iron Bridge at Sunderland", from an outline by Edward Blore

Edward Blore

Edward Blore was a 19th century British landscape and architectural artist, architect and antiquary. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland ....

; for Surtees's

Robert Surtees (antiquarian)

Robert Surtees was a celebrated English historian and antiquary of his native County Durham. Surtees was born in Durham, and educated at Kepier School, Houghton-le-Spring, and later at Christ Church, Oxford. Although a student of law he never practised as a lawyer...

 "History of Durham"; and the "Monument of Sir Francis Bacon" in St Michael's Church, St Albans, for Robert Clutterbuck

Robert Clutterbuck

-Life:He was the eldest surviving son of Thomas Clutterbuck, of Watford, Hertfordshire, by Sarah, daughter of Robert Thurgood of Baldock. He was born at Watford on 28 June 1772, and at an early age was sent to Harrow School. He went to Exeter College, Oxford as a gentleman commoner. After...

's "History of Hertfordshire".

In 1825, he finished his fine engraving of "Rotterdam", from Augustus Wall Callcott

Augustus Wall Callcott

Sir Augustus Wall Callcott was an English landscape painter-Life and work:Callcott was born in Kensington gravel pits, London. His first study was music and he sang for several years in the choir of Westminster Abbey...

's picture belonging to the Earl of Essex, and shortly afterwards issued a prospectus announcing a series of plates from Callcott's works, of which two, "Antwerp" and "Dover", were begun and considerably advanced when vexation at the loss of the proceeds of his 'Rotterdam,'caused by the failure of his agent, led to their abandonment.

He then began, in 1826, the "Views in London and its Vicinity", engraved from drawings by Callcott, Stanfield, Roberts, Prout

Samuel Prout

thumb|right|Samuel Prout painted by [[John Jackson]] in 1831thumb|right|Market Day by Samuel Proutthumb|right|A View in Nuremberg by Samuel Proutthumb|right|Utrecht Town Hall by Samuel Prout in 1841...

, Stark, Harding

James Duffield Harding

James Duffield Harding , English landscape painter, was the son of an artist, and took to the same vocation at an early age, although he had originally been destined for the law...

, Cotman

John Sell Cotman

John Sell Cotman was an English marine and landscape painter, etcher, illustrator and author, one of the leading lights of the Norwich school of artists.-Early life and work:...

, and Havell

William Havell

William Havell was an English landscape painter, one of the Havell family of artists, and a founding member of the Society of Painters in Watercolours.-Life and work:...

, ending with the twelfth issue just before his death.

In 1833, he produced "Views of the Old and New London Bridges", executed conjointly with his son, Edward William Cooke

Edward William Cooke

Edward William Cooke, R.A., F.R.S., F.Z.S., F.S.A., F.G.S. was an English landscape and marine painter, and gardener.-Life and work:...

, who also made the drawings. He also produced plates for Frederick Nash's "Views in Paris",' Colonel Batty's "Views of European Cities", Baron Taylor's "Spain" (pub. Robert Jennings), Rhodes's

Ebenezer Rhodes

Ebenezer Rhodes , topographer, was born in Masborough near Rotherham, in 1762. He entered the cutlery trade in 1777 and served a seven year apprenticeship. He was interested in reading and the theatre but his occupation was as a senior partnership with David Champion in a business that made scissors...

 "Peak Scenery" and "Yorkshire Scenery", several for Stark's "Scenery of the Rivers of Norfolk", and one of "Southampton", after Copley Fielding

Copley Fielding

Anthony Vandyke Copley Fielding , commonly called Copley Fielding, was an English painter born in Sowerby, near Halifax and famous for his watercolour landscapes. At an early age Fielding became a pupil of John Varley...

, for the "Gallery of the Society of Painters in Water Colours".

Cooke was one of the original members of the "Society of Associated Engravers", who joined together for the purpose of engraving the pictures in the National Gallery

National gallery

The National Gallery is an art gallery on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom.National Gallery may also refer to:*Armenia: National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan*Australia:**National Gallery of Australia, Canberra...

, and two of his plates were in preparation at the time of his death. He likewise attempted engraving in mezzotint

Mezzotint

Mezzotint is a printmaking process of the intaglio family, technically a drypoint method. It was the first tonal method to be used, enabling half-tones to be produced without using line- or dot-based techniques like hatching, cross-hatching or stipple...

, and in that style executed a plate of 'Arundel Castle,' after Turner; but it was not a success, and was never published.

Cooke died of "brain fever

Brain fever

Brain fever describes a medical condition where a part of the brain becomes inflamed and causes symptoms that present as fever. The terminology is dated, and is encountered most often in Victorian literature...

" on 27th February 1834 at Barnes, where he was buried.

External links

• George Cooke online (ArtCyclopedia)
• Engravings by George Cooke (Grosvenor Prints)