Mary Byfield (baptized 11 November 1795 – 1871) was an English book illustrator and wood engraver. She and Ann Byfield were "artist engravers on wood" with a business in Florence Street, Islington.[1]
Mary Byfield | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1795 London |
| Died | 1871 (aged 75–76) Islington, London |
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Book illustration and printmaking |
Biography
editByfield 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.[2][3] These included several volumes for the writer Thomas Frognall Dibdin.[4] Mary and John Byfield also produced illustrations for the Chiswick Press, notably for the works of William Pickering.[4][5] 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.[4] She worked for the printer Charles Whittingham and his nephew, Charles at the Chiswick Press throughout her life.[5] 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.[4] Byfield taught several other members of her family, and members of the Whittingham family, wood engraving techniques.[4] For most of her life, Byfield lived in the Holloway area of London, notably at Canonbury Place and Liverpool Road.[4]
Works illustrated
editWorks illustrated in whole, or part, by Mary Byfield include,[4]
- 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[5]
- First Book of Elements of Euclid, 1847
- Queen Elizabeth's Prayer Book of 1569, 1853.
- John William Bradley and J. G. Goodwin's Manual of Illumination, published for Winsor and Newton, 1861 (with Ann Byfield)[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Avery-Quash, Susanna (23 September 2004). "Byfield family (per. c. 1814–1886), wood-engravers". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 1 (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/64208. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b c d e f g HCG Matthew & Brian Harrison, ed. (2004). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Vol 9 (Burt-Capon). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-861359-8.
- ^ 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
edit
- Works by Byfield in the British Museum print collection