The Biographical Dictionary of America/Anderson, Alexander

ANDERSON, Alexander, wood engraver, was born in New York city April 21, 1775. He was graduated at Columbia college, M.D., 1796; began to engrave on metal at an early age, and turned his attention to wood engraving in 1798. He made his own tools and produced the first wood engravings in the United States. He confined himself to wood engraving from 1820, and was engraver for the American Tract society for several years. His work includes illustrations for Bewick's "Birds;" illustration for Webster's Speller, and forty engravings for an edition of Shakespeare. He died in New York city, Jan. 17, 1870.