William Austin (caricaturist)
Encyclopedia
William Austin was an English
artist, drawing-master, engraver and caricaturist. A rival of Matthew Darly, he used a distinctive grainy, woodblock-like style.
in 1721. He was a pupil of George Bickham
, but after having engraved a few plates, chiefly landscapes of no great merit, he relinquished the practice of the art, and devoted the remainder of his life to teaching drawing, first in London and afterwards in Brighton
, Sussex.
Among his engravings are four plates of the "Ruins of Ancient Rome" (after Pannini), 4 plates of the "Ruins of Palmyra
", 6 "Sea-pieces" (after Van Goyen), and "The Four Times of the Day" (views in Holland after Waterloo, Ruisdael, Van Goyen, and Van der Neer. He likewise engraved with Paul Sandby
, Vivares, and others, some views of "Windsor Park
" and "Virginia Water
", and also published in 1781 a series of thirty plates, slightly etched from drawings by Andrea Locatelli
, entitled "A Specimen of Sketching Landscapes".
For some time he ran a print-shop, and published some political caricatures, mostly directed against the French, and in support of the administration of Charles James Fox
. Six of these, "French Spies attacked by British Bees", and others, were engraved by himself in 1780.
Austin died in Brighton on 11 May 1820, at the advanced age of ninety-nine.
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...
artist, drawing-master, engraver and caricaturist. A rival of Matthew Darly, he used a distinctive grainy, woodblock-like style.
Life and work
Austin, was born in LondonLondon
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 1721. He was a pupil of George Bickham
George Bickham the Younger
George Bickham the Younger was an English etcher and engraver, a printseller, and one of the first English caricaturists.He produced didactic publications, political caricatures, and pornographical prints. He was the son of the engraver George Bickham the Elder , who published the Universal...
, but after having engraved a few plates, chiefly landscapes of no great merit, he relinquished the practice of the art, and devoted the remainder of his life to teaching drawing, first in London and afterwards in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, Sussex.
Among his engravings are four plates of the "Ruins of Ancient Rome" (after Pannini), 4 plates of the "Ruins of Palmyra
Palmyra
Palmyra was an ancient city in Syria. In the age of antiquity, it was an important city of central Syria, located in an oasis 215 km northeast of Damascus and 180 km southwest of the Euphrates at Deir ez-Zor. It had long been a vital caravan city for travellers crossing the Syrian desert...
", 6 "Sea-pieces" (after Van Goyen), and "The Four Times of the Day" (views in Holland after Waterloo, Ruisdael, Van Goyen, and Van der Neer. He likewise engraved with Paul Sandby
Paul Sandby
Paul Sandby was an English map-maker turned landscape painter in watercolours, who, along with his older brother Thomas, became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768.-Life and work:...
, Vivares, and others, some views of "Windsor Park
Windsor Park
Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
" and "Virginia Water
Virginia Water Lake
Virginia Water Lake lies on the southern edge of Windsor Great Park, in the borough of Runnymede in Surrey and the civil parishes of Old Windsor and Sunninghill and Ascot in Berkshire, in England. It is a man-made lake taking its name from a natural body of water of the same name...
", and also published in 1781 a series of thirty plates, slightly etched from drawings by Andrea Locatelli
Andrea Locatelli
Andrea Locatelli was an Italian painter of landscapes .Born in Rome, he was the son and pupil of the painter Piero Locatelli, who had studied with the Florentine Ciro Ferri...
, entitled "A Specimen of Sketching Landscapes".
For some time he ran a print-shop, and published some political caricatures, mostly directed against the French, and in support of the administration of Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox PC , styled The Honourable from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned thirty-eight years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and who was particularly noted for being the arch-rival of William Pitt the Younger...
. Six of these, "French Spies attacked by British Bees", and others, were engraved by himself in 1780.
Austin died in Brighton on 11 May 1820, at the advanced age of ninety-nine.
External links
- Portrait of William Austin (National Portrait Gallery, London)