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Josiah Wood Whymper | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Josiah Wood Whymper | |
| Born | 24 April 1813 Ipswich, England |
| Died | 7 April 1903 Haslemere, England |
| Education | William Collingwood Smith |
| Known for | Wood engraving, illustration,watercolour |
| Notable work | Engravings forBritish Birds in their Haunts |
| Spouse | Emily Whymper (second) |
| Elected | New Society of Painters in Water Colours |
Josiah Wood WhymperRI (Ipswich 24 April 1813 – 7 April 1903Haslemere) was a Britishwood-engraver, book illustrator and watercolourist.
Born the son of abrewer, Whymper was apprenticed to astonemason. He soon turned to drawing and painting, settled in London in 1829 and studied underWilliam Collingwood Smith (1815–1887).[1]
_(after_a_work_by_Harry_Fenn)_-_Etna._From_the_theatre_Taormina%2c_1878.jpg)
After having anetching ofLondon Bridge published, he became well known as an illustrator and worked forBlack (for the 1857 edition of poetic works ofWalter Scott),John Murray,Cassell and other publishers. His wood-engraving enterprise became one of London's most successful. He also painted watercolours, specialising inriverscapes, and gave drawing classes to pupils such asCharles Keene (1823–1891),John William North (1842–1924),George John Pinwell (1842–1875) andFrederick Walker (1840–1875).[1]
He also produced fine engravings of animals, fish, landscapes andwonders of the world for theSociety for Promoting Christian Knowledge, sold for 3/4dpenny plain, 2dpence coloured. In 1846, Whymper made thirty engravings about dramatic natural phenomena such as theaurora borealis,whirlpools andicebergs.[2]
Whymper exhibited in the London and Provincial Galleries and was elected an associate of theNew Society of Painters in Water Colours in 1854, becoming a full member in 1857.
Whymper's set of engravings forCharles Alexander Johns'sBritish Birds in Their Haunts (1862) after drawings byJoseph Wolf is widely regarded as his finest work. He made some of the engravings forHenry Walter Bates's 1863The Naturalist on the River Amazons. He also produced the wood engravings for theLife and Habits of Wild Animals (1873–74) with the help of his sons Charles, Frederick and Edward, and provided illustrations forJoseph Dalton Hooker'sHimalayan Journals (1854) andDavid Livingstone'sNarrative of an Expedition to the Zambesi (1865). He was in charge of the illustrations forPicturesque Europe (1875).
Whymper was the father of eleven children includingEdward Whymper (1840–1911), the alpinist, illustrator and wood-engraver, who made the first ascent of theMatterhorn in 1865 and engraved the illustrations forHoward Willoughby'sAustralian Pictures (1886).[1] Other sons wereFrederick Whymper (1838–1901), an artist and explorer, and Charles H. Whymper (1853–1941), who provided illustrations for books on travel, sport and natural history, including an edition ofWilliam Yarrell'sA History of British Birds (1871–89) and theBirds of Egypt (1909).
His second wife wasEmily Whymper.[3]
Toward the end of his life, he lived inHaslemere inSurrey, where he died in 1903.
Examples of Whymper's work may be seen in theVictoria and Albert Museum, London.
