The Heath Family Engravers: 1779-1879

This work is a study of the growth and ultimate eclipse of the line engraver's art in Britain in the late-18th and early-19th centuries, as reflected through the work and fortunes of three generations of the Heath family. In addition to the detailed catalogues and bibliographic information, there are extensive notes on the historic and artistic background to the period, with much detail on the relationships of the Heath engravers with many of the leading British artists, publishers, print dealers and engravers of their day, as well as on their working habits, payment systems and business methods generally. This research on the contribution of the Heath family to the development of the printed illustration during the period should be of interest to art historians, academics and book collectors.