Paintings & Prints - Engravings

1850 - The Death Bed of Wesley

1850, The Death Bed of Wesley
Title: The Death Bed of Wesley
Engraver: John Sartain
Date: 1850
Dimensions: 60.96 x 76.2 cm.

John Sartain was born in London, England on October 24, 1808. In 1823, he was apprenticed to a London engraver, whose daughter, Susannah, he married on the completion of his term. In 1830, John and Susannah Sartain left England for America, where he soon became Philadelphia's preeminent portrait engraver. The Sartains raised eight children, three of whom--Emily, Samuel and William--gained their own prominence in the art world. Sartain introduced from London the art of mezzotint engraving, which more faithfully rendered oil paintings as prints than any previous method of printmaking. It was important to artists that their work be reproduced in the best possible fashion to not only enhance their reputations but to promote commissions as well. Many of the portrait prints by Sartain shown here were commissioned by the leading artists of the day, including Thomas Sully, Henry Inman and John Neagle.

1850 - The Rescue Of John Wesley

1850, The Rescue Of John Wesley
Title: The Rescue Of John Wesley
Engraver: John Sartain
Date:1850
Dimensions: 60.96 x 76.2 cm.

John Sartain is thought to have engraved over 1500 prints during his career. Many of these were illustrations commissioned by the leading magazines of the day including Godey's Lady's Book, Graham's Magazine, the Eclectic and Nineteenth Century. In 1848, Sartain, in partnership with William Sloanaker, bought the Union Magazine for $5,000. The first issue of Sartain's Union Magazine of Literature and Art appeared in January 1849. The leading writers of the time contributed to Sartain's magazine, including Longfellow and Poe whose poem, "The Bells," was first published by Sartain in November of 1849. The magazine, never a financial success, ceased in 1852 and Sartain spent several years paying off its debts.