Samuel Williams (1788-1853)
"Nell in bed" from "Masters Humphrey's Clock", 1840-1841
Like many of Dickens's illustrators, Samuel Williams displayed an early talent for art but had no formal training. He learned his trade while apprenticed to a local printer and became particularly adept at wood engraving. On completing his apprenticeship Williams began his own printing business, hiring and training his brother and sister. Because the illustrations for Master Humphrey's Clock were to be printed within the text, publishers Chapman and Hall chose Williams to execute the work. Williams engraved several images for both Cattermole and Maclise, and in addition, both designed and engraved the important image "Nell in bed."
Illustrations
From "The Olio", 1831, © The Trustees of the British Museum, page
From "A History of British Forest Trees", book by Prideaux John Selby, 1842, © The Trustees of the British Museum
untitled, n.d., © The Trustees of the British Museum
untitled, n.d., © The Trustees of the British Museum
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