Francis Eginton

Francis Eginton (1737–1805), was an English glass painter. He painted windows for cathedrals, churches, chapels and stately homes etc. around the country, leaving 50 large works altogether; his work was also exported abroad. His masterpiece is The Conversion of St. Paul, for the east window of St Paul's Church, Birmingham. He also developed a method for reproducing paintings mechanically.

Early life and career

Eginton was the grandson of the rector of Eckington, Worcestershire, and was trained as an enameller at Bilston. As a young man he was employed by Matthew Boulton at the Soho Manufactory. In 1764 Eginton was employed as a decorator of japanned wares, but also did much work in modelling. During the next few years Boulton brought together a number of able artists at Soho, including John Flaxman and James Wyatt; and Eginton rapidly became a skilful worker in almost every department of decorative art.

"Mechanical paintings" or "polygraphs"

Eginton was a partner with Boulton in the production of "mechanical paintings" or "polygraphs" The idea for these was in all probability taken by Boulton from a process modified by Robert Laurie (1755?-1836) from Jean-Baptiste Le Prince's 'aquatint' engravings. Eginton perfected the method and applied it to the production of coloured copies of paintings. More plates than one were required for each picture, and after leaving the printing-press Eginton finished them by hand. They were copied from the works of Philip James de Loutherbourg, Angelica Kauffman and other artists, and varied in price from £1. 10s. to £21. The largest were 40 inches by 50. They were sometimes mistaken for original paintings, although these old "polygraphs" were in fact nearly identical to the varnished coloured oleographs which later became prevalent, the main difference being that the latter were printed lithographically.

Francis Eginton (engraver)

Francis Eginton (Birmingham 1775 – 1823 near Newport, Shropshire) was an English engraver.

Life

Eginton was the son of John Eginton, a noted stipple engraver and a nephew of Francis Eginton. He was born in Birmingham in 1775, and died in 1823 at Meertown House, near Newport, Shropshire, aged 48.

Eginton's work as an engraver was distinguished by accuracy and taste. He illustrated Stebbing Shaw's History of Staffordshire, John Price's histories of Leominster (1795) and Hereford (1796), Robert Bell Wheler's History and Antiquities of Stratford-on-Avon, James Bisset's Picturesque Birmingham Guide, Pratt's Leamington Guide, Thomas Howell's Stranger in Shrewsbury, and most of the topographical and historical works published in the Midlands during his time. A large plate of Pontcysyllte Aqueduct was one of his most notable works. As a person, Eginton was described as a 'cheerful and gentlemanly companion, and much respected.'

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Eginton, Francis (1775-1823)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.