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John Thompson (engraver)
John Thompson (25 May 1785 – 20 February 1866) was a British wood-engraver. He is best known for his contribution to William Yarrell's 1843 ''History of British Birds''. He was described as the most distinguished wood-engraver of his time. Thompson also engraved the design for the 1839 penny postage envelope, on a brass plate; and the design for the iconic figure of Britannia which appeared on British banknotes. Life and work Thompson was born in Manchester to a London merchant, Richard Thompson. He trained under the wood-engraver Allen Robert Branston, and then collaborated with the artist John Thurston. He engraved around 900 of Thurston's designs from 1814 onwards including illustrations for Butler's ''Hudibras'' in 1918. He is described as Branston's "most celebrated pupil". He illustrated many books, becoming in the words of Freeman Marius O'Donoghue in the Dictionary of National Biography "the most distinguished wood-engraver of his time", and "perhaps the ablest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Redstart From Yarrell History Of British Birds 1843
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have often been used to describe opposites such as good and evil, the Dark Ages versus Age of Enlightenment, and night versus day. Since the Middle Ages, black has been the symbolic color of solemnity and authority, and for this reason it is still commonly worn by judges and magistrates. Black was one of the first colors used by artists in Neolithic cave paintings. It was used in ancient Egypt and Greece as the color of the underworld. In the Roman Empire, it became the color of mourning, and over the centuries it was frequently associated with death, evil, witches, and magic. In the 14th century, it was worn by royalty, clergy, judges, and government officials in much of Europe. It became the color worn by English romantic poets, businessmen an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
