Silvester Harding facts for kids

Silvester Harding (also known as Sylvester) was an English artist and publisher. He was born on July 25, 1745, and passed away on August 12, 1809. He was known for his detailed portraits and for publishing many illustrated books.

Silvester Harding's Life Story

Silvester Harding was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, England. When he was a child, he moved to London to live with his uncle. At just 14 years old, he decided to run away. He joined a group of actors and traveled with them.

Becoming an Artist

In 1775, Silvester returned to London. He started painting small portraits, called miniatures. These were very popular at the time. He even showed his paintings at the Royal Academy of Arts starting in 1776.

Starting a Business

In 1786, Silvester teamed up with his brother, Edward Harding. They opened a shop in Fleet Street, London. They sold books and prints. Their business was quite successful.

In 1792, they moved their shop to Pall Mall. This was another busy part of London. Later, before 1798, the brothers decided to work separately. Silvester moved his shop to a new address on Pall Mall.

Silvester Harding continued his work as an artist and publisher until he died on August 12, 1809.

Silvester Harding's Art and Books

The Harding brothers published many prints. These prints often showed designs created by Silvester. Famous engravers like Francesco Bartolozzi helped turn Silvester's drawings into prints.

Silvester Harding especially enjoyed drawing portraits of famous actors. He also copied historical portraits using watercolors. These copies were then used to illustrate books.

Important Publications

One of their first big projects was Shakespeare illustrated by an Assemblage of Portraits and Views. This book had 150 plates (pictures) related to William Shakespeare's plays. It was published between 1789 and 1793.

They also published other interesting books:

• Memoirs of Count Grammont (1793)
• The Economy of Human Life (1795), which had pictures by Gardiner based on Harding's designs.
• Leonora (1796), a poem translated by William Robert Spencer.
• Fables (1797) by John Dryden. Both Leonora and Fables featured beautiful drawings by Lady Diana Beauclerk.

The Biographical Mirrour

A major project was The Biographical Mirrour. This was a series of historical portraits with text by Francis Godolphin Waldron. The first volume came out in 1795. Silvester continued this series on his own. He published the second volume in 1798. The third volume was ready when he passed away.

Silvester also created other original artworks. These included a portrait of Sir Busick Harwood. He also made six illustrations for a story called Rosalynde. This story was the original inspiration for William Shakespeare's play As You Like It.

Silvester Harding's Family

Silvester Harding married a daughter of Dr. William Perfect. They had several children. Two of their sons were George Perfect Harding and Edward. Edward also helped engrave some pictures for his father's books. Sadly, Edward passed away at the young age of 20 in 1796.

Images for kids

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  Harding's portrait of Sir Harbottle Grimston, an English politician.