William Holl the Elder (1771 – 1 December 1838) was a British engraver, thought to be of German background, and a political radical.

Life

Holl was a pupil of Benjamin Smith the engraver, and worked in the

stipple Stippling is the creation of a pattern simulating varying degrees of solidity or shading by using small dots. Such a pattern may occur in nature and these effects are frequently emulated by artists. Art In printmaking, stipple engraving is ...

method. He was noted as an exponent of "chalk manner" engraving, based on the simulation of chalk lines on paper. While with Smith, he had

Thomas Uwins Thomas Uwins (24 February 1782, in London – 26 August 1857) was a British portrait, subject, genre and landscape painter (in watercolour and oil), and a book illustrator. He became a full member of the Old Watercolour Society and a Royal ...

as unwilling pupil. A progressive in politics, Holl at the time of the Spa Fields riots in December 1816 took the risk of concealing James Watson, son of James Watson (1766–1838) the radical leader, and aiding his departure for the USA. He was a pioneer in using steel plates for banknotes, Holl lived in Bayham Street,

Camden Town Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...

. He died in London, 1 December 1838.

Works

Holl was noted for his numerous engraved portraits, some being for

Edmund Lodge Edmund Lodge, KH (1756–1839), herald, was a long-serving English officer of arms, a writer on heraldic subjects, and a compiler of short biographies. Life and career Lodge was born in Poland Street, London on 13 June 1756, the son of Edmund Lo ...

's ''Portraits of Illustrious Personages of Great Britain''. He was employed in engraving Henry Corbould's drawings of the antique marbles in the British Museum, and engraved, among other subjects, ''The Boar which killed Adonis brought before Venus'', after

Richard Westall Richard Westall (2 January 1765 – 4 December 1836) was an English painter and illustrator of portraits, historical and literary events, best known for his portraits of Byron. He was also Queen Victoria's drawing master. Biography We ...

. Holl did not push himself forward, and his work often appeared under the name of others. In the 1820s, Holl was one of the early adopters of the steel plate engraving technique pioneered by Charles Warren; others in the field were William Thomas Fry and Charles Marr.

Family

Holl married Mary Ravenscroft, and they had four sons who followed his trade: Benjamin, who practised engraving for a short time; William;

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...

, A.R.A.; and Charles (died 1882), who also practised as an engraver. Another son was Henry Holl the actor.

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Holl, William 1771 births 1838 deaths English engravers