Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Anderson, John (fl.1799)
ANDERSON, JOHN (fl. 1799), wood engraver, was born in Scotland, and was well educated. He was a pupil of Thomas Bewick. He cut (after drawings by J. Samuel) the blocks which illustrate ‘Grove Hill,’ a poem, very sumptuously issued by T. Bensley in 1799. This book, for the beauty of its cuts and the care with which they are printed, will bear comparison with Somervile's ‘Chase.’ The best work of Bewick is technically hardly better than that which Anderson shows in ‘Shakespeare's Walk’ in the book in question. His treatment of foliage is sometimes such as to remind one strongly of the cuts in Bloomfield's ‘Farmer's Boy,’ which the first edition of 1800 describes as ‘with ornaments engraved by Anderson.’ These cuts have been long erroneously ascribed to Bewick. Anderson also engraved illustrations to an edition of Junius. Redgrave says he formed ‘a style of his own and showed much ability, but did not long follow his profession. He went abroad on some speculation, and was lost sight of. He died early in the century.’ Historians of the wood-engraver's art should give to the author of such work as has been described a more important place than he has yet obtained.
[Redgrave's Dict. of Painters.]
Dictionary of National Biography, Errata (1904), p.5
N.B.— f.e. stands for from end and l.l. for last line
| Page | Col. | Line | |
| 384 | i | 19 | Anderson, John (fl. 1799): for T. Bursley read T. Bensley |
| 26-30 | for His treatment of foliage . . . may be attributed read His treatment of foliage is seen to admirable advantage in the cuts in Bloomfield's 'Farmer's Boy.' The first edition of this work (1800) states that the 'ornaments' were engraved by Anderson. Nevertheless its cuts have long been erroneously ascribed to Bewick |