Mary Byfield
Mary Byfield | |
---|---|
Born | 1795 London |
Died | 1871 (aged 75–76) Islington, London |
Nationality | British |
Known for | Book illustration and printmaking |
Mary Byfield (baptized 11 November 1795 – 1871) was an English book illustrator and wood engraver.
Biography[]
Byfield was born in London into a family of wood engravers. Taught by their father, Mary Byfield often worked with her brothers John (1788-1841) and Ebenezer (1790-1817) to produce engraved illustrations for books.[1][2] These included several volumes for the writer Thomas Frognall Dibdin.[3] Mary and John Byfield also produced illustrations for the Chiswick Press, notably for the works of William Pickering.[3][4] Working alone, Mary Byfield also produced engravings for several other volumes and designed a version of the Oxford University arms that became, for a time, the mark of the Oxford University Press.[3] She worked for the printer Charles Whittingham and his nephew, Charles at the Chiswick Press throughout her life.[4] As well as full page illustrations, her work included engraved alphabets for the first letter of a page, head and tail pieces, decorative borders and vignettes.[3] Byfield taught several other members of her family, and members of the Whittingham family, wood engraving techniques.[3] For most of her life, Byfield lived in the Holloway area of London, notably at Canonbury Place and Liverpool Road.[3]
Works illustrated[]
Works illustrated in whole, or part, by Mary Byfield include,[3]
- Bibliotheca Spenciana by Thomas Frognal Dibdin, 1814, 4 volumes, with John Byfield
- Bibliographical Decameron, 1817, with John Byfield
- Typographical Antiquities by Thomas Frognal Dibdin, 1819
- Icones veteris testamenti, 1830, with John Byfield
- South Yorkshire by Joseph Hunter, 1831
- The Dance of Death by Francis Douce, 1833, with John Byfield
- Reminiscences of a Literary Life, 1836, with John Byfield
- Memorials of Cambridge by Orlando Jewitt, 1841
- A Summer's Day at Windsor, or A Visit to Eton by Edward Jesse, 1841
- Bibliotheca Spenciana by Thomas Frognal Dibdin, 1842
- History of the Orders of Knighthood by Nicolas, 1842[4]
- First Book of Elements of Euclid, 1847
- Queen Elizabeth's Prayer Book of 1569, 1853.
References[]
- ^ "Mary Byfield (1795-1871)". Royal Academy of Arts. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^ Benezit Dictionary of Artists Volume 3 Bulow-Cossin. Editions Grund, Paris. 2006. ISBN 2-7000-3073-7.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g HCG Matthew & Brian Harrison (Editors) (2004). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Vol 9 (Burt-Capon). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-861359-8.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Sara Gray (2019). British Women Artists. A Biographical Dictionary of 1000 Women Artists in the British Decorative Arts. Dark River. ISBN 978-1-911121-63-3.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mary Byfield. |
- Works by Byfield in the British Museum print collection
- 1795 births
- 1871 deaths
- 19th-century British printmakers
- 19th-century British women artists
- 19th-century engravers
- Artists from London
- English wood engravers
- Sibling artists
- Women engravers