Topham, Francis William [Frank]
- Tom Pocock
Extract
Topham, Francis William [Frank] (1808–1877), watercolour painter, was born at Leeds, Yorkshire, on 15 April 1808, the son of Richard Topham (1781–1834), pawnbroker, and his wife, Elizabeth Rawson (1784–1861). Apprenticed to an uncle, Samuel Topham, an engraver and future pioneer of portrait photography, he first engraved lettering for cards and monograms for cutlery and, with a few flourishes, commercial bills. In 1830 he moved to ...