James Heath ARA (1757 – 1834)

• Was a British engraver.
• Heath was born in Newgate, London, the son of George Heath, a bookbinder.
• He was articled to the engraver Joseph Collyer the younger.
• His earliest engravings were of portraits in the collected edition of Horace Walpole's works.
• He was subsequently employed to engrave Thomas Stothard's designs for Harrison's The Novelist's Magazine and Bell's Poets of Great Britain.
• He engraved some of the plates for John Boydell's Shakespeare and also, in 1802.
• In 1780, he exhibited three engravings at the exhibition of the Society of Artists.
• In 1791, he was elected an associate engraver of the Royal Academy.
• In 1794, was appointed historical engraver to George III.
• Heath amassed a considerable fortune, but lost much property by a fire in 1789.
• Around 1777, he married Elizabeth Thomas, and they had one son, George Heath.
• James Heath died in Great Coram Street, London, on 15 July 1834.
• The displayed painting is a crop from: James Lonsdale, James Heath, 1830.
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