Charles Williams (died 1830) was a British

caricaturist A caricaturist is an artist who specializes in drawing caricatures. List of caricaturists * Abed Abdi (born 1942) * Al Hirschfeld (1903–2003) * Alex Gard (1900–1948) * Alexander Saroukhan (1898–1977) * Alfred Grévin (1827–1892) * Alf ...

etcher Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

and illustrator. He was chief caricaturist between 1799 and 1815 for the leading British publisher S. W. Fores. He worked in a style similar to

James Gillray James Gillray (13 August 1756Gillray, James and Draper Hill (1966). ''Fashionable contrasts''. Phaidon. p. 8.Baptism register for Fetter Lane (Moravian) confirms birth as 13 August 1756, baptism 17 August 1756 1June 1815) was a British caricatur ...

. In his earlier works, Williams used the pseudonyms Ansell or Argus; with

George Cruikshank George Cruikshank (27 September 1792 – 1 February 1878) was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for his friend Charles Dickens, and many other authors, reache ...

and others he illustrated ''The Every-Day Book'' by

William Hone William Hone (3 June 1780 – 8 November 1842) was an English writer, satirist and bookseller. His victorious court battle against government censorship in 1817 marked a turning point in the fight for British press freedom. Biography Ho ...

, edited 1825–26. Williams was the first of many who caricatured the 1st Duke of Wellington; he published a drawing of him in September 1808, during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

, in which the Duke cuts off the pigtail of French general Jean-Andoche Junot, defeated at the

Battle of Vimeiro In the Battle of Vimeiro (sometimes shown as "Vimiera" or "Vimeira" in contemporary British texts) on 21 August 1808, the British under General Arthur Wellesley (who later became the Duke of Wellington) defeated the French under Major-Gene ...

Works

* J. Mitford ''The Adventures of Johnny Newcome in the Navy'' (1819) * W. Combe ''Doctor Syntax in Paris, or, a Tour in Search of the Grotesque'' (1820) * ''The Tour of Doctor Prosody: in Search of the Antique and Picturesque'' (1821) * ''My Cousin in the Army, or, Johnny Newcome on the Peace Establishment'' (1822)

Sources

* ''Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires Preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum'', Mary Dorothy George. Vol VI 1938, Vol VII, 1942 VOL VIII 1947, VOL IX 1949 * ''Dictionary of British Cartoonists and caricaturists 1730-1980'' Bryant and Heneage, Scolar Press 1994

External links

Charles Williams
(British Museum Bio) Year of birth missing 1830 deaths 18th-century engravers 19th-century engravers English engravers British illustrators English illustrators English cartoonists English caricaturists {{UK-printmaker-stub