W. H. Prior

William Henry Prior (1812, in London – 23 February 1882, in London) was a British painter and engraver known for his depictions of London and its environs. He provided sketches for the Environs of London (1842), and worked for Charles Knight and Henry Vizetelly on the Illustrated Times.

Dover Harbour in 1855, by W.H. Prior, oil on canvas.[1]
The Swan with Two Necks by W.H. Prior, Old and New London, Illustrated, Vol. 1 by Walter Thornbury.
Old Bethlem Hospital, Moorfields, about 1750. Coloured wood engraving by W. H. Prior after an earlier engraving.

Early life and family

William Prior was born in Bloomsbury, London, in 1812. He married Amelia and they had two sons and two daughters. At the time of the 1871 census he was described as an Artist and living in Hammersmith.[2] He was still there in 1881, noted as living in Masbro Road west.[3]

Career

Prior was a follower of Thomas Bewick's pupil William Harvey.[4] He trained at Henry Vizetelly's (1820–1894) wood-engraving establishment with Francis Danby (landscape), W. H. Thwaites (figures), R. Hind (figures), and Martin, son of John Martin the painter (figures and portraits).[5]

He provided sketches for the Environs of London which The Spectator in 1842 commended for their "vivid perception of those qualities that constitute their picturesqueness".[6] Later, he worked for Charles Knight and Henry Vizetelly on the Illustrated Times (founded 1855).[4]

Death

Prior died at his home of 6 Nasbro Road (Masbro?), Brook Green, London, on 23 February 1882. His executor was his wife Amelia and he left an estate of £652.[7]

References
  1. Lot 69. Bonhams. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  2. William H Prior England and Wales Census, 1871. Family Search. Retrieved 12 January 2018. (subscription required)
  3. William H Prior England and Wales Census, 1881. Family Search. Retrieved 12 January 2018. (subscription required)
  4. Appendix 1: Persons Referred to in the Diary. The Apprenticeship of a Mountaineer: Edward Whymper's London Diary, 1855–1859. Originally published by London Record Society, London, 2008. British History Online. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  5. The Magazine of Art, Vol. 13, p. 335.
  6. "Progress of Wood-Cut Illustrations." The Spectator, No. 741 (10 September 1842), p. 885.
  7. 1882 Probate Calendar, p. 356.

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