John Pye

John Pye (Birmingham 7 November 1782 – 6 February 1874 London) was a British landscape engraver. Life He was the second son of Charles Pye of Birmingham, where he was born on 7 November 1782; his mother was a daughter of John Radclyffe, also of Birmingham, and aunt of William Radclyffe the engraver. His brother Charles Pye was also an engraver. His father published an account of Birmingham, a geographical dictionary, and several series of plates of provincial coins and tokens. These engraved by himself, with the assistance of his son John, who was removed from school when still a child, and received his first instruction in engraving from his father. Later he was a pupil of Joseph Barber of Birmingham, and was then apprenticed to a plate-engraver named Tolley. In 1801 John Pye went to London with his cousin, William Radclyffe, and became a paid assistant of James Heath, to whom his elder brother was articled. He was employed on works of natural history and in engraving the backgrounds of book illustrations. Pye made a career of illustrations to popular annuals and pocket-books. In 1830, at the request of John Sheepshanks, he undertook the publication of a series of engravings from pictures in the National Gallery during the 1830s. He retired in 1858.