Background
He was son of Robert Graves (died 1825), and younger brother of Robert Graves, Associate of the Royal Academy He was born on 16 July 1806.
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Henry Graves
Edit ProfileCareer
At the age of sixteen he became an assistant of Samuel Woodburn, the art dealer, and later was employed by Messrs. Hurst, Robinson, & Company, the successors of Boydell, as manager of their print department. In the course of an enterprising and successful career, throughout which he was recognised as the leading London printseller, Graves published an immense number of fine engravings from pictures by Turner, Wilkie, Lawrence, Constable, Landseer, Faed, Frith, Grant, Millais, and other contemporary painters.
He specially devoted himself to the reproduction of the works of Sir Edwin Landseer, employing upon the work the best engravers of the day, and paying the artist himself more than £50,000 for copyrights.
He also issued valuable library editions of the works of Reynolds, Lawrence, Gainsborough, Liverseege, and Landseer. He died at his house in Pall Mall, London, on 23 August 1892, and was buried in Highgate cemetery.
Membership
Graves was one of the founders of the Art Journal and Illustrated London News, an active member of the Printsellers" Association and the Artists" General Benevolent Fund, and a governor of the Shakespeare memorial at Stratford.
