John Henry Walker a pioneer Canadian engraver and illustrator, was from County Antrim

County Antrim

County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...

 in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

 and as a young boy emigrated in 1842 to 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...

 with his family, settling in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

. In 1845 he was apprenticed for three years to the engraver Cyrus A. Swett, where he was trained in copper and wood engraving.

Walker provided the engravings for catalogues, government reports, advertisements and magazines such as The Canadian Illustrated News, L'Opinion Publique and Le Monde Illustré, and produced the front-cover illustration for his launching of Punch in Canada in 1849. The magazine was styled on the English Punch and failed when published by Walker as a weekly. His other short-lived humorous periodicals were The Jester, Grinchuckle and Diogenes.
He is regarded as a pioneer of political cartooning in Canada and dominated engraving in Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

from 1845 into the 1890s. His legacy of illustrations provides a rich insight into life in Victorian Canada.

External links

• McCord Museum gallery of Walker's engravings