John Warner Barber

John Warner Barber (February 2, 1798 – June 22, 1885) was an American engraver and historian whose books of state, national, and local history featured his vivid illustrations, said[1] to have caught the flavor and appearance of city, town, and countryside scenes in his day.

[1] He traveled around Connecticut, creating ink sketches of town greens, hotels, schools, churches, and harbors and collected local history as he went.

[4] "Today, though his wood engravings are well known, few copies of the book [Connecticut Historical Collections] remain," according to the Bibliopola Press Web site, which, as of August 2006, was selling a reprint version.

[2] "He talked with townspeople, gathered local documents and made quick sketches everywhere he went," according to a New York Times article from December 10, 1989, quoted on a print-selling Web site.

[5] "The illustrations depict each town center, with its homes and churches, academies and courthouses sailboats plying a river or harbor, an occasional factory belching puffs of smoke and always a tiny figure or two, often the artist in his top hat, sketching the scene or pointing to the view."