Emery Walker

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Emery Walker (born April 2, 1851 in Paddington , † July 22, 1933 ) was an important English printer, typographer and photographer.

Life

Walker's father was a coach builder who moved to London with his wife, Mary Anne Barbe, shortly before the birth of Emery. When he was about 7 years old, the family moved to Hammersmith. He attended St. Mark's College in Chelsea . After his father went blind, Walker left school at the age of 13 and had to support his family.

In Sunday School he was tutored by the English landscape painter Henry Dawson (1811-1878). His eldest son Alfred founded the company "Typographic Etching Company" in 1872. Here Walker found permanent employment, gained significant experience in printing and gained insights into the commercial production areas.

Since 1883, Walker was secretary of the socialist section in Hammersmith , the "Democratic Federation". Here he made the acquaintance of William Morris, among others .

In 1886, Walker founded his own company, Walker & Boutall, Automatic and Photographic Engravers, and in 1888 he was one of the founders of the Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society. On behalf of the "Society", Walker had given his famous lecture on the history of printing, which Morris helped to found the " Kelmscott Press ". Morris offered Walker to jointly lead the press in a partnership, which Walker refused. Presumably he didn't want to be a formal partner to a creative genius . Walker remained the theoretical advisor and Morris remained the artist of the Kelmscott Press. After Morris death, Walker founded the " Doves Press " together with the bookbinder Thomas James Cobden-Sanderson (1840–1922) .

Walker remained one of the most important mediators of the book art reform of the "Kelmscott Press" and typographical advisor to the following generation of English, but also German printers and book artists. He was a corresponding member of the Grolier Club .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Original etching by the British artist, Alfred Dawson
  2. ↑ Hans-Christian Kirsch: William Morris - a man against time . P. 232

literature

  • Hans-Christian Kirsch: William Morris - a man against time . Diederichs, Cologne 1983, ISBN 3-424-00772-2 , pp. 229-233
  • Friedrich Adolf Schmidt-Künsemüller: Emery Walker . In: Gutenberg yearbook . Vol. 25, Mainz 1950, pp. 306-317
  • Friedrich Adolf Schmidt-Künsemüller: William Morris and the newer book art . Carl Wehmer (Ed.), Contributions to Books and Libraries, Vol. 4, Wiesbaden 1955
  • Colin Franklin: Emery Walker - some light on his theories of printing and on his relations with William Morris and Cobden-Sanderson . Cambridge 1973

Web links

Commons : Emery Walker  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Walker, Emery
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English printer and typographer
DATE OF BIRTH April 2, 1851
PLACE OF BIRTH Paddington
DATE OF DEATH July 22, 1933