Henry Thomas Ryall

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Henry Thomas Ryall (1811–1867) was an English engraver known for his line, stipple, and later mezzotint techniques. He was born in Frome, Somerset, and trained under Samuel William Reynolds, a leading mezzotint engraver. Ryall began his career making chalk or stipple engravings and contributed to Edmund Lodge’s Portraits of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain and other books.

In 1861 he lived at 15 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, with his wife Georgina, a niece, and two servants. He died at Cookham, Berkshire, on 14 September 1867.

Ryall was appointed royal engraver to Queen Victoria. Forty of his works are in the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Works: Ryall’s large plates combine line and stipple, and he later used mezzotint. Notable engravings include The Coronation of Queen Victoria after Sir George Hayter; The Christening of the Princess Royal after Charles Robert Leslie; Christopher Columbus at the Convent of La Rabida after David Wilkie; The Blind Girl at the Holy Well after Sir Frederick William Burton; and many other portraits and scenes after artists such as Rosa Bonheur, Richard Ansdell, Paton, Frith, Bonnar, Thorburn, Winterhalter, and more. He also engraved Sir William Charles Ross’s miniatures of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort, painted occasionally, and exhibited Waiting for an Answer (1846) at the Society of British Artists; A Reverie (1852) and The Crochet Lesson (1859) at the Royal Academy.