Britannic Colourer

[despair]

A possible ancestor has "Britannic Colourer" listed as his occupation in the baptismal record of his daughter in Lambeth in 1815.Any suggestions as to what this was are welcome.

Regards
Roger

[trystan]

Hi Roger,

It appears that Britannic may have been a magazine.

And in the post below (searching RootsChat) I found that:

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=397299.msg2677432#msg2677432

A print colourer was a person trained to colour print from engraved plates. Such plates were produced at an astonishing rate from about 170 to 1822 [engraved on copper] and from 1822 to about 1860 [engraved on steel].

The demand for such skilled colouring died off as after about 1860 or so the high costs of steel engraving caused the printing trade to turn either to lithography or to letterpress wood engraving.

At that same period most map publishers turned over the lithography in colour and the second string of colourists also went.

Some of the people involved turned their hands to different fields - gilding, fore-edge painting, silhouettes and water colours.

I have a stock with many hundreds of such hand coloured prints but, alas, none that I could attribute to Heery as the colourists were usually anonymous unlike the original artists and engravers.

Age 14 would indicate he was a beginner as most trades started at age 14. A colourist would be fully trained within a year so it would not be a formal apprenticeship.

Trystan

[despair]

That looks like a comprehensive explanation-many thanks,Trystan.I'll look to see how long the magazine was in circulation and if any copies/reprints from the time of the record exist.Certainly a more unusual occupation than the majority of my ancestors(if so he proves).

Regards
Roger

[trystan]

Roger,

Yes it's great to get a colourful ancestor.

You might have missed the link that I posted above (in blue 'been a magazine'):
http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Britannic_magazine_or_entertaining_r.html?id=cssPAAAAQAAJ

(You can look through one copy of it anyhow - if that's the one).

Trystan

[despair]

I did notice the link,thankyou,Trystan.A very quick look only revealed text.I was naturally interested in plates.I haven't got round to a more comprehensive examination or wider search yet.


Regards
Roger

[trystan]

Roger,

The 'plates' were the things that text were printed off if I recall correctly - so the text that you read are the imprint of the plates made.

Trystan

[despair]

Thanks,Trystan.I was hoping that there might be coloured illustration plates,as I assumed "colouring" was not involved in text plates.

Regards
Roger

[despair]

An update,and an alternative.I was a little concerned that,as far as I could find,The Britannic Magazine was only published until 1807,whereas my possible ancestor had the description "Britannic colourer" in 1815.I'm fairly sure I've followed him through to his daughter's wedding in Bromsgrove.On the certificate he is described as "artist" and he seems to have moved there himself as in the 1841 census where he is described as "print colourer" and,most interestingly,in the 1851 census,as "Botanic(al) Colourer",(my brackets)I wonder if this was what the original description in 1815 should have been(the image clearly says Britannic Colourer).

Regards
Roger

[Jaybee691]

Roger
It would appear that we possibly have an interest in the same relative.
Would the person you are referring to as a Britannic Colourer have the surname Smith by any chance? as this Gentleman is my GGGGrandfather.
Would you be interested in swapping any facts as I am involved in a Family History project?
Thanks
jaybee691