Anker Smith. Anker Smith was an English line engraver.
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, with whom he remained until 1782.
Subsequently he became an assistant to James Heath, and then one of the leading English line engravers. Smith died of apoplexy on 23 June 1819.
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.
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: Thomas Macklin's Bible, 1800;. Boydell's Shakespeare, 1802;. George Kearsley's Shakespeare, 1806;. Robert Bowyer's edition of David Hume's History of England, 1806; and. John Sharpe's British Classics. He engraved many of Robert Smirke's designs for the Arabian Nights, 1802; Gil Blas,
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, with whom he remained until 1782.
Subsequently he became an assistant to James Heath, and then one of the leading English line engravers. Smith died of apoplexy on 23 June 1819.
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.
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: Thomas Macklin's Bible, 1800;. Boydell's Shakespeare, 1802;. George Kearsley's Shakespeare, 1806;. Robert Bowyer's edition of David Hume's History of England, 1806; and. John Sharpe's British Classics. He engraved many of Robert Smirke's designs for the Arabian Nights, 1802; Gil Blas,
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