- Also known as
-
William Stadden Blake
-
primary name: Blake, William Stadden
-
other name: Blake, William Staden
- Details
- individual; printmaker; publisher/printer; British; Male
- Life dates
- 1748-1814
- Address
- 16 Exchange Alley, London (1780-1814)
Abchurch Lane, London
- Biography
- Trade engraver based in Exchange Court in the City. Primarily worked on financial documents. Trade card in Heal Collection (Heal,100.17a) advertises "Blake, Engraver & Printer, No.16, Exchange Alley, London. Seals Neatly Engrav'd." Heal's annotations on mount: "The London Directory 1795 gives W.S. Blake, engraver, 16 Exchange Alley. Mr. Ruthven Tood in a letter to the 'Times Lit: Supp:' 10 Feb. '45 refers to the probable connection between W.S. Blake & William Blake the famous artist & quotes a document dated 1797 in which both names appear. See Keynes 'Life of Wm. Blake' p:318. In a personal letter to me (correspondence arising from above) 15:ii:'45 Mr. Ruthven Todd regards it as 'certain' that W.S. Blake, the writing engraver was the issuer of the trade cards of 'Blake, engraver, No.16 Exchange Alley.' There are 2 cards of Blake, 16 Exchange Alley in the Banks' Collection in B.M. In A.H. collection is a card of John Rowe 'apprentice & successor to Mr. Blake', 16, Change Alley."
Trade cards in Banks Collection. Banks,59.23 advertises "Blake, Engraver and Printer... Devices in Hair &c." Banks (D,2.2147) advertises "Blake, Engraver & Printer... Seals Neatly Engrav'd." Banks (D,2.2170) advertises "Blake, Engraver and Printer...Seals neatly Engrav'd &c."
Nigel Tattersfield (email Spet 2021): W. S. Blake spelled his name William Stadden Blake (note the double 'dd') when he came to write his brief will. Note also he died in 1814, not 1824; will at National Archives, PROB 11/1562/134, proved 10 November 1814.
- Bibliography
- G.E. Bentley Jr, 'W.S. Blake, new facts and engravings', "Blake", 49, 3, Winter 2015-16