William
Pyne, the son of a weaver, was born in London
in 1769. Pyne became a writer and painter and in 1805, the publisher,
William Miller, commissioned him to write and illustrate The
Costume of Great Britain. The book included 60 full-page
paintings of professional and working-class men and women and scenes
from everyday life.
Rudolf Ackermann, the successful London
publisher, was impressed by the book and asked to work on a series
of new books called The Microcosm of London.
Pyne wrote the text and helped Thomas Rowlandson
and Augustus Pugin with the illustrations.
Other work for Ackermann included Cottages
and Farm Houses in England and Wales (1815) and History
of the Royal Residences (1829). In 1831 Pyne supplied some
of the pictures for the book Lancashire Illustrated.
As well as book illustrations, Pyne wrote for several journals such
as the Literary Gazette and Fraser's
Magazine. In the 1830s Pyne found it more difficult to
sell his work and he was imprisoned in King's
Bench Prison for debt. William Pyne died in poverty in 1843.
William
Pyne, The Pillory, The Costume of Great Britain (1805)
Available
from Amazon Books (order below)
