Smith was born in Cheapside, London, where his father was a silk merchant. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, and at first articled to an uncle named Hoole, a solicitor; but he transferred to James Taylor, an engraver and younger brother to Isaac Taylor,[1] with whom he remained until 1782. Subsequently, he became an assistant to James Heath, and then one of the leading English line engravers.[2]
Sir William Walworth, Lord Mayor of London, Killing Wat Tyler in Smithfield, 1381, engraving by Anker Smith published 1796
In 1787 Smith found his first independent employment with John Bell, for whose series of British Poets he engraved many of the illustrations. Through his relative John Hoole he became known to John Boydell, who commissioned him to engrave James Northcote's picture Death of Wat Tyler; the print was published in 1796, and earned for him election as an associate of the Royal Academy in the following year.[2]
In 1798 Smith executed a large plate from Leonardo da Vinci's cartoon of the Holy Family in the possession of the Academy. For the rest of his life Smith worked on illustrations to fine editions of standard works, such as:[2]
He engraved many of Robert Smirke's designs for the Arabian Nights, 1802; Gil Blas, 1809; and Don Quixote, 1818; and was one of the artists employed on the official publication Ancient Marbles in the British Museum. His last work was a large plate from Thomas Heaphy's picture, The Duke of Wellington giving Orders to his Generals, which he did not live to complete.[2]
Family
Smith married in 1791, and left a widow, one daughter, and four sons, including the sculptor Frederick William Smith and the painters Herbert Luther Smith and Edwin Dalton Smith. His sister Maria, who was an artist, and exhibited portraits between 1791 and 1814, married William Ross, a miniature-painter, and was the mother of William Charles Ross.[2]
Richard Westall 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.
Joseph Collyer, also called Joseph Collyer the Younger, was a British engraver. He was an associate of the Royal Academy and portrait engraver to the British Queen Consort, Queen Charlotte.
James Heath was a British engraver. He enjoyed the patronage of George III and successive monarchs.
John Thurston — born, Scarborough 1774, — died London 1822, was a British printmaker and illustrator.
The Boydell Shakespeare Gallery in London, England, was the first stage of a three-part project initiated in November 1786 by engraver and publisher John Boydell in an effort to foster a school of British history painting. In addition to the establishment of the gallery, Boydell planned to produce an illustrated edition of William Shakespeare's plays and a folio of prints based upon a series of paintings by different contemporary painters. During the 1790s the London gallery that showed the original paintings emerged as the project's most popular element.
Stephen Weston was an English antiquarian, clergyman and man of letters.
Thomas Holloway was an English portrait painter and engraver.
Charles Theodosius Heath was a British engraver, currency and stamp printer, book publisher and illustrator.
James Sargant Storer (1771–1853) was an English draughtsman and engraver.
James Stow, was an English engraver.
Isaac Taylor (1759–1829) of Ongar was an English engraver and writer of books for the young.
Isaac Taylor (1730–1807) was an English engraver.
William Bulmer (1757–1830) was an English printer and typographer.
James Mitan was a British engraver.
Charles Taylor (1756–1823) was an English engraver, known also as a man of letters and biblical scholar.
George Noble was an English line-engraver. The son of Edward Noble, author of Elements of Linear Perspective, he was brother to Samuel Noble and William Bonneau Noble.
James Neagle (1760?–1822) was a British engraver. Very largely a line engraver of book illustrations, he was prolific of designs by Thomas Stothard, Robert Smirke, Henry Fuseli, Gavin Hamilton, Henry Singleton, Richard Cook, and other popular artists.
Robert Thew (1758–1802) was an English engraver.
Charles Thompson (1791–1843) was a British wood-engraver, who made a career in France.
John Ireland was a British writer.
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