David Charles Read

David Charles Read (1790–1851) was an English etcher, painter, and drawing master known for his finely detailed landscapes and subtle use of drypoint. Born in Boldre, Hampshire, he trained briefly in London under the engraver John Scott before ill health led him back to the countryside. In 1820, he settled in Salisbury, where he lived in the Cathedral Close and supported himself by teaching drawing while producing works in pencil, watercolor, and oil. By the mid-1820s, Read began focusing on etching, eventually creating 237 plates—primarily landscapes, with a small number of portraits. His etchings, often printed by his own hand, were issued in six small series between 1829 and 1845. A number of these were dedicated to Queen Adelaide. He was among the few English artists of his time to employ drypoint with regularity. Read spent time in Italy in the mid-1840s and returned to painting before his death in London in 1851. His work is represented in the British Museum, the Ashmolean Museum, and several notable collections, thanks in part to donations by his son, Raphael W. Read.