- Also known as
-
William Darton
-
primary name: Darton, William
-
other name: Darton & Harvey
-
other name: William Darton & Son
- Details
- individual; publisher/printer; British; Male
- Other dates
- 1787-1876 (fl.)
- Address
- Addresses from Shefrin, pp. 84-85
William Darton Senior and successors: White Lion Alley, Birchin Lane (1787-88); 55 Gracechurch Street (1788-1846)
William Darton Junior and successors: 40 Holborn Hill (1804-1808); 58 Holborn Hill (1808-1866); 175 Strand (1863-1866); 42 Paternoster Row (1866-1876).
Gracechurch Street (As Harvey & Darton, 1831)
- Biography
- Print publishing house of the Quaker Darton family, particularly known for children's publications: William Darton (1755-1819) set up as engraver, stationer, and printer in 1787 in White Lion Alley, Birchin Lane, London, moving to 55 Gracechurch Street in 1788, and in 1791 forming a partnership with Joseph Harvey (1764-1841); one son, Samuel Darton (1785-1840,) became a partner in the firm in 1810; another son, William Darton (1781-1854) set up on his own in Holborn Hill in 1804; his son John Maw Darton (1809-1881), became a partner in the Holborn Hill firm, and was in business on his own at Paternoster Row from 1866-76. Other partners included, at Gracechurch Street, Joseph Harvey's son Robert Harvey from 1833-46; at Holborn Hill, Samuel Clark from 1836-45 and Frederick Hodge from 1862-63. Hodge continued the business alone at the Strand; Robert Yorke Clarke bought the Gracechurch Street business from Robert Harvey in 1846, and sold the remaining copyrights in 1852 to Arthur Hall, Virtue & Co.
Bill-head dated "London 5th Month 18th - 1792." (Heal,111.48) lettered "Bought of Darton & Harvey... Booksellers, Printers & Stationers. Copper Plates neatly Engraved."
Trade card (Heal,100.28) advertises "William Darton Engraver Printer Holborn London."; Heal's annotations on mount: "1817 Directory gives him at 58 Holborn Hill, bookseller & stationer. 1825 & 1827 Directories give him at 58 Holborn Hill, bookseller & engraver. 1793 Directory gives a Wm. Darton engraver in White Lion's Court, Cornhill. 1798 Tradecard of L. Palmer, brazier & ironmonger in A.H. collection engraved by W. Darton & Co., Gracechurch Street."
- Bibliography
- ODNB
Lawrence Darton, 'The Dartons, an annotated check-list of children's books, games and educational aids issued by two publishing houses 1787-1870', 2004
Jill Shefrin, 'The Dartons, publishers of educational aids, pastimes & juvenile ephemera 1787-1876', Los Angeles 2009 (bibliography)
