William WARD after George Morland.

The Dram.

16 x 22 inches

A sepia mezzotint engraved on copper by William Ward after the painting by George Morland, published in London by J. R. Smith in 1796.

William Ward was born in London in 1766. He was the brother of James Ward and married the sister of the famous English landscape painter, George Morland. As such he spent most of his life surrounded by artists and engravers. He was apprenticed to John Raphael Smith and on completion of his time became the latter’s assistant. He engraved portraits, genre, decorative and sporting subjects after both his contemporaries and his own designs. He is particularly well known for his engravings after the work of his brother-in-law, George Morland. He was appointed mezzotint engraver to the Duke of York in 1803 and later to the Prince of Wales. In 1814 he was elected Associate of the Royal Academy. Ward died suddenly in December 1826. This charming scene depicts a rural family stopping for refreshment outside the village inn.

£850