Robert Laurie
(1755?-1836), Mezzotint engraver and printsellerRobert Laurie (Lowery or Lowry or Lowrie or Lawrey or Lawrie)
Artist associated with 69 portraits
Apprenticed to printseller Robert Sayer from 1770 until 1777, where he developed a reputation as a mezzotint engraver of caricatures, portraits and topographical views. In 1776, he was awarded a premium from the Society of Arts for inventing a new method of printing mezzotints in colour. After completing his apprenticeship, he tried unsuccessfully to set himself up as an independent artist; he soon rejoined Sayer, first as an assistant and then as a partner. In 1794, Sayer retired and Laurie, with James Whittle, took control of the business. The firm published prints ranging from satirical works to topographical views, but they were best known for their large, accurate, maps and atlases.
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