Background
He was born on October 24, 1808 in London, the son of John Sartain and Ann (Burgess) Sartain. The father died when John was eight years of age, and four years later the lad, in an effort to help support the family.
(Excerpt from The Reminiscences of a Very Old Man, 1808-18...)
Excerpt from The Reminiscences of a Very Old Man, 1808-1897 This suggested to Mr. Janvier an amusing idea. He drew up an obligation that I would within one year from date begin writing my reminiscences. He placed the pen in my hand and I signed it. He then cut it in two diagonally in a waved line from one corner to the other. There, that 's an indenture. You may have one half. I shall keep the other, and will hold you to it. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
https://www.amazon.com/Reminiscences-Very-1808-1897-Classic-Reprint/dp/133064350X?SubscriptionId=AKIAJRRWTH346WSPOAFQ&tag=prabook-20&linkCode=sp1&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=133064350X
(Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We h...)
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.
https://www.amazon.com/Antique-Painting-Encaustic-Cleopatra-Discovered/dp/1313377414?SubscriptionId=AKIAJRRWTH346WSPOAFQ&tag=prabook-20&linkCode=sp1&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1313377414
He was born on October 24, 1808 in London, the son of John Sartain and Ann (Burgess) Sartain. The father died when John was eight years of age, and four years later the lad, in an effort to help support the family.
He apprenticed himself for seven years in 1823 to John Swaine to learn heraldry and letter engraving.
He entered upon his first job with an Italian pyrotechnist and scene artist, who made him "powder monkey" and assistant to the head scene-painter in the department of steam, smoke and fire at Charles Kemble's Theatre and at Vauxhall Gardens. Soon a relative set him the task of tending turnpike, but he was rescued from this occupation by a bequest from his grandmother.
He decided then to become an engraver. He practised drawing in his spare time and his talent attracted the attention of William Young Ottley, who was writing an historical sketch of the early Florentine school of painters. Ottley gained Swaine's permission to have the apprentice execute eighteen plates and work up fourteen left previously unfinished. Through this work, published in 1826, Sartain was introduced to the art of the masters and met such distinguished men as Sir Thomas Lawrence and Thomas Sully.
When Sartain returned to his apprenticeship, he accepted occasional commissions for engravings. One of these plates, sold to Eliakim Littell in 1830, was engraved in mezzotint for Sartain's instructor in miniature, Henry Richter, after that artist's picture "The Tight Shoe. "
His first important commission was from Thomas Sully who had him engrave his portrait of Bishop White. Commissions followed from the painters, Jacob Eicholtz and John Neagle, and from the Penn Society. He also executed plates for the Gentleman's Magazine, the Casket, and Godey's Lady's Magazine. In 1841 he became associated with Graham's Magazine, and through that medium introduced pictorial illustration as a distinctive feature of American periodicals. His prompt success necessitated the turning out of one plate every two weeks in addition to other work which, in 1847, included the owning and editing of a quarto-volume entitled The American Gallery of Art.
In 1843 Sartain entered upon an illstarred venture as proprietor of Campbell's Foreign Semi-Monthly Magazine. He also had a financial interest in the Eclectic Museum, but neither was profitable.
After Graham's failure in 1848, however, he joined with William Sloanaker in purchasing for $5, 000 the Union Magazine and creating under the name, Sartain's Union Magazine of Literature and Art, a publication of rare cultural value. The first issue appeared in January 1849. The noted men and women writers of the day, including Longfellow, John Howard Payne, Lucy Larcom, Harriet Martineau and Edgar Allan Poe, whose poem, "The Bells, " Sartain was the first to publish, contributed to Sartain's Magazine. The venture was, however, a monetary failure, and Sartain spent the next seven and a half years paying off its debts.
When his magazine was discontinued in 1852, the engraver turned to general work, his output of plates being estimated at 1500. He made engravings and vignettes for early banknotes and indulged his versatility further in oil-painting, watercolor, and miniature. In 1855 he attended the international exposition in Paris, being entrusted in 1862 with a second mission to deliver diplomas of honorary membership in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts to European notables.
In 1886, as chief of the American art department, he began collecting pictures to exhibit at a London exposition. When he died in Philadelphia, Sartain had completed his autobiographical volume Reminiscences of a Very Old Man, published in 1899.
(Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We h...)
(Excerpt from The Reminiscences of a Very Old Man, 1808-18...)
He was a member of the Artists Fund Society (president in 1844) and of the Society of St. George.
He was married to Susannah Longmate Swaine, daughter of his employer, on Jan. 11, 1830, and six months later sailed with his bride to America. Sartain had eight children of whom three, Samuel, William and Emily, were all distinguished.