William Henry Mote

William Henry Mote (1803–1871) was a British stipple and line engraver, primarily known for his portraits.

[2] Mote was first mentioned in publications as working under the supervision of Charles Heath when he was sixteen or seventeen years old.

Mote also worked with female artists, and a high percentage of his etchings found their way into publications produced by women.

[7] Additionally, there are fifteen engravings in the Farnsworth Shakespeare Collection (Rhode Island College) and twenty one etchings in the National Maritime Museum produced by Mote.

Publication of annuals with etchings of beautiful women was a fad that lasted from 1823 to 1857, and Mote was a prolific engraver of this content.

[citation needed] The heyday of steel engraved book illustration was between 1825 and 1845, and a rapid expansion of this field took place in London around 1820.

He was an innovator with steel plate engravings not only because of his talent for etching but because he was in the right place (London) at the right time (1820) and worked for the right man (Charles Heath).

"WT" were the initials of another engraver working on the same project, William Thomas Fry.

He married Mary Ann Bather (born 1799) and their marriage was announced in St George Hanover Square Parish Records.

He was buried on 19 July 1871 in a family grave on the western side of Highgate Cemetery, London.

After his death, his son Edward Mote marketed himself as a portrait engraver, worked out of his father's house, and was listed in the 1884 and 1895 London Directories.

Census records and London business directories indicate that his sons listed steel etching as their profession, and they appear never to have left the family home.

[citation needed] The sheer volume of etchings make it difficult to believe that Mote worked alone.

Mote became a member of the Royal Academy in 1831, shortly after King George IV's death.

Some editions have appeared to "white" out the Mote brand on the right corner, and the original artist's name, and subtitles to the etchings.

In protest of the "nudity" of the statues in The Art Journal, some people bought the publication in order to rip out the nude etchings and send them back to the publisher.