Arthur Comfort (11 November 1864 – 1935) was a British wood-engraver at ''The Graphic'' in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
and art teacher in
Halifax.
Life
Comfort was born in London on 11 November 1864, where he attended the
Graphic School of Wood Engraving, and afterwards worked as an engraver for almost 15 years at ''
The Graphic
''The Graphic'' was a British weekly illustrated newspaper, first published on 4 December 1869 by William Luson Thomas's company Illustrated Newspapers Ltd. Thomas's brother Lewis Samuel Thomas was a co-founder. The premature death of the latt ...
'', a national illustrated journal founded in 1869 by
William Luson Thomas and his brother
Lewis Samuel Thomas. During that time, he achieved some renown for his watercolours, especially of flowers, and his work was exhibited in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
and at the
Royal Academy in London. He was regarded as one of the few engravers of high rank at the end of the nineteenth century in Great Britain along with
Charles Roberts,
William Biscombe Gardner and
Charles Frederick Ulrich.
He became the chairman of the international
Society of Wood Engravers
The Society of Wood Engravers (SWE) is a UK-based artists’ exhibiting society, formed in 1920, one of its founder-members being Eric Gill. It was originally restricted to artist-engravers printing with oil-based inks in a press, distinct from ...
, but, with the development of half-tone and screen blocks for illustrations, wood-engraving became obsolete, and he left the journal and moved north.
Comfort settled in Halifax at Swires Road, and taught art at the local
Heath Grammar School,
Sowerby Bridge High School and
Hebden Bridge Grammar School Hebden may refer to:
People
* Hebden (surname)
Places in England
*Hebden, North Yorkshire, England, a village
*Hebden Royd, a civil parish in West Yorkshire, England
**Hebden Bridge, a town thereof
***Hebden Bridge railway station
Hebden ...
. He joined the
Halifax Art Society, and developed some skill with pen and ink sketches, and mezzotints. The
Halifax Evening Courier
Halifax commonly refers to:
*Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
*Halifax, West Yorkshire, England
*Halifax (bank), a British bank
Halifax may also refer to:
Places Australia
*Halifax, Queensland, a coastal town in the Shire of Hinchinbrook
*Halifax B ...
published two books of his sketches, ''Sketches of Old Halifax'' in 1912 and ''Ancient Halls in and about Halifax'' in 1913, and also ''A Spring-Time Saunter: Round and About Bronte Land'' by
Whiteley Turner
Whiteley Turner (1866 – 20 February 1921) was an English mill worker, shopkeeper and author.
Turner was born in Sowerby, Yorkshire, the third son of Robert, a wool sorter, and Elizabeth Turner. At the age of eight, he was sent to work at Pe ...
in 1913 which he illustrated.
Comfort died in 1935 aged 71 at the
Royal Halifax Infirmary
The Royal Halifax Infirmary was a hospital in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, which opened in 1896 and closed in 2001.
History Earlier hospitals
The predecessors of the Royal Halifax Hospital were the Halifax Dispensary (1807-c.1836) in Hatte ...
. He was survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
Footnotes
External links
Sketches of Old HalifaxAncient Halls in and about Halifax
{{DEFAULTSORT:Comfort, Arthur
1864 births
1935 deaths
English engravers
British wood engravers
Artists from London