Robert Wallis

Robert William Wallis was an English engraver.

Wallis born in London, the son of Thomas Wallis, who was an assistant of Charles Heath (1785-1848) and died in 1839. He was taught by his father, and became one of the ablest of the group of supremely skilful landscape-engravers who flourished during the second quarter of the nineteenth century, particularly excelling in the interpretation of the work of Joseph Mallord William Turner.

He engraved illustrations for Turner's "Picturesque Views on the Southern Coast of England" (with George Cooke), Turner's "England and Wales" and "Rivers of France", Charles Heath's "Picturesque Annual", Robert Jennings's 'Landscape Annual', the fine editions of the works of Walter Scott, Thomas Campbell, and Samuel Rogers, the "Keepsake", the "Amulet", the "Literary Souvenir", and many other beautiful publications.

On a larger scale he engraved various plates for "The Art Journal" from pictures by Turner, Callcott, Stanfield, Fripp, and others, and many for the "Turner Gallery". Wallis's finest productions are the large plates after Turner, "Lake of Nemi" and "Approach to Venice"; a proof of the latter was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1859, and on its completion he retired from the profession. The remainder of his life was passed at Brighton, where he died on 23 November 1878.

Text courtesy of Wikipedia, 2023