Samuel Williams (23 February 1788 – 19 September 1853) was a British draughtsman andwood-engraver.
Williams was born atColchester, on 23 February 1788. He was apprenticed to the Colchester printer J. Marsden, but taught himself to draw and engrave on wood. Headopted printmaking as his profession, and became known as a specialist in landscapes. He established himself first in Colchester, and then settled in London in 1819.[1]
In the early part of his life, Williams also painted miniatures, and a few oil pictures. Having a facility in design, he used his own drawings for a high proportion of his prints. His first patron was Benjamin Crosby the publisher, for whom he illustrated a work on natural history in 1810.[1]
He was elected a member of theAmerican Antiquarian Society in 1819.[2]John Orrin Smith andGeorge Baxter were his pupils.[3]
Williams died on 19 September 1853.[1]
From his own designs, Williams produced the illustrations to:[1]
Cuts from the designs of others are in:[1]
Williams left four sons and a daughter, all of whom successfully practised wood-engraving.[4] Thomas Williams (fl. 1830), his younger brother, was his pupil, and a wood-engraver who worked only after others. His prints can be found inJames Northcote'sArtist's Book of Fables 1828; andJohn Martin andRichard Westall'sBible Illustrations, 1833.[1]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1900). "Williams, Samuel".Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 61. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
