English engraving — Davenport, Samuel

Samuel Davenport (1783–1867) was an English line engraver. He was one of the earliest to engrave on steel. Davenport was born at Bedford, 10 December 1783: while he was still small, his father, an architect and surveyor, moved to London. There he was in due course articled to Charles Warren. His earlier works were book illustrations after the designs of Henry Chawner Shenton, Henry Corbould, and others; but subsequently he engraved in outline a large number of portraits for biographical works. He died 15 July 1867. His son, Samuel Thomas Davenport (born 1821), was also an engraver.
Davenport is said by Redgrave to have 700 portraits for one publication alone. Examples of his work are the plates which he engraved for the Forget-Me-Not annual between 1828 and 1842.