Henry Bromley (writer) facts for kids

Henry Bromley was the pen name of a writer named Anthony Wilson (who lived from about 1750 to 1814). He was an English author who wrote about art. His most famous work was called Catalogue of Engraved Portraits.

Who Was Anthony Wilson?

Anthony Wilson, known as Henry Bromley, was born in Wigan around 1750. He might have been related to the Wilson family from Kendal. This family had connections with the Bromley family.

Wilson worked for a trading company in London. He often visited auction rooms where prints were sold. He also went to sales held by Nathaniel Smith. Nathaniel Smith was the father of a well-known engraver and historian, John Thomas Smith. We don't know exactly when Anthony Wilson passed away. An artist named Barrett even created an engraving of his portrait.

What Did Henry Bromley Write?

In 1793, there was a growing interest in collecting prints. This was partly because of a book by James Granger called Biographical History of England. Anthony Wilson, using his pen name Henry Bromley, published his own book. It was titled A Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits.

Many important historians and art lovers helped him with this book. These included Sir William Musgrave, James Bindley, and Anthony Morris Storer. In his Catalogue, Wilson wanted to list every engraved British portrait. He only left out those that couldn't be clearly identified.

He organized his list into different time periods. Then, he further divided it by the rank or job of the people in the portraits. A copy of his book is kept at the British Library. A print seller named Edward Evans said that Wilson also wrote for the Gentleman's Magazine.