William Savage (1770–1843) was an English printer, engraver, draughtsman and author of several works about printing.

Life

Born in 1770 at

Howden Howden () is a market and minster town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of York to the north of the M62, on the A614 road about south-east of York and north of Goole, which lies across the Ri ...

in the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...

, he was the younger son of James Savage, a clockmaker. He was educated at the church school in Howden. In 1790 he went into business as a printer and bookseller there in partnership with his elder brother, James Savage. In 1797 he moved to London, and about two years later was appointed printer to the

Royal Institution The Royal Institution of Great Britain (often the Royal Institution, Ri or RI) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster. It was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, inc ...

. There for ten years he was assistant secretary to the board of managers, and also secretary to the library committee, secretary to the committee of chemistry, and superintendent of the printing office. About 1803 Savage went also into business as a printer in London on his own account. In 1807 he was commissioned to print Edward Forster's ''British Gallery of Engravings'', It made his reputation as printer. Savage died at his residence at Dodington Grove,

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, on 25 July 1843, leaving three daughters.

Works

Savage devised a

printing ink Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thicke ...

without any oil in its composition, and publicised it in ''Preparations in Printing Ink in various Colours'' (London, 1832). In recognition of his services, the

Society for the Encouragement of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

awarded him their large medal and a sum of money "for his imitations of drawings, printed from engravings on wood, with inks of his own preparing". Savage published ''Dictionary of the Art of Printing'' (London, 1840–1, in 16 numbers); it drew on the work of

Joseph Moxon Joseph Moxon (8 August 1627 – February 1691), hydrographer to Charles II, was an English printer specialising in mathematical books and maps, a maker of globes and mathematical instruments, and mathematical lexicographer. He produced the ...

. He was also the author of: * ''Observations on Emigration to the United States'', London, 1819. * ''Practical Thoughts on Decorative Printing'', London, 1822 (limited edition). This work was illustrated by engravings from

Augustus Wall Callcott Sir Augustus Wall Callcott (20 February 177925 November 1844) was an English landscape painter. Life and work Callcott was born at Kensington Gravel Pits, a village on the western edge of London, in the area now known as Notting Hill Gate. ...

John Varley John Varley may refer to: * John Varley (canal engineer) (1740–1809), English canal engineer * John Varley (painter) (1778–1842), English painter and astrologer * John Varley (author) (born 1947), American science fiction author * John Silvest ...

, John Thurston,

Thomas Willement Thomas Willement (18 July 1786 – 10 March 1871) was an English stained glass artist, called "the father of Victorian stained glass", active from 1811 to 1865. Biography Willement was born at St Marylebone, London. Like many early 19th centu ...

, and

William Henry Brooke William Henry Brooke (1772–1860) was a British artist and illustrator. Life He was the son of the painter Henry Brooke and a nephew of Henry Brooke, the author of ''A Fool of Quality''. He was a pupil of Samuel Drummond, and worked as a port ...

. The edition was limited. Savage, 1822, p. title page Savage was a draughtsman, and there are engravings from drawings by him in the section of John Britton's ''Beauties of England and Wales'' dealing with Yorkshire.

Citations

Sources

* ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Savage, William 1770 births 1843 deaths English printers English engravers