WALLIS, Henry

Henry Wallis (1805–1890), recorded in various historical catalogues as William Henry Wallis, was a prominent British steel engraver and later art dealer active in London during the Victorian era. The younger brother of the renowned engraver Robert Wallis, he trained within the thriving market for landscape and architectural engraving, distinguishing himself during the 1820s and 1830s through the execution of elaborate plates and illustrations for travel books based on drawings by major artists of his time. However, after suffering two strokes in the 1840s that severely impaired the precision required for burin engraving, he was forced to completely reorient his career toward the fine art trade. In 1861, he joined the influential venue The French Gallery, located at 120 Pall Mall in London, working closely with the famed art dealer Ernest Gambart to promote and sell continental French and Dutch painting to the British public. In 1867, he assumed ownership and directorship of the gallery, establishing himself as a key figure in the London art market until his retirement in 1871, at which point he handed over management of the business to his son, Thomas Wallis. This figure should be distinguished from his contemporary, the renowned Pre-Raphaelite painter Henry Wallis (1830–1916), famous for his canvas depicting the death of the poet Thomas Chatterton.