This alphabetical index of original artists has been compiled from the engravings included in the 1823-1830 volumes of the Forget Me Not. In many instances, well-known artwork was borrowed from private owner for a considerable fee; for others, an editor and/or publisher's acquaintance would lend the artwork without charge. Artists were also commissioned to render designs and/or drawings of particular scenes (castles, shipwrecks, etc.). (I have indicated alongside the title if it was a painting or a design only when specified in the annual itself.) The engravers were then given the painting from which to create either a woodcut/intaglio or steel plate engraving. Since engravers were labeled "copyists," they were not admitted to the Royal Academy and hence were not validated by the premiere artistic community.  Many of the Artists had R.A. following their names indicating membership in the Royal Academy.  No engraver's name was printed with those initials.  (I have omitted the "R.A." from this index for clarity's sake.)  However, as can be seen by viewing Henry Le Keux's engraving of John Martin's "Seventh Plague of Egypt" below," engravers, though not creating original designs, shouldered the tedious responsibility of rendering tone, depth and color into fine lines -- a decidedly artistic endeavor. 

With proofs in hand, editors then solicited authors for a verbal illustration of the newly pressed engraving.  The original idea was to distribute artwork as well as "polite literature" to the middle to upper-middle classes through these annuals. Artwork that readers would not have otherwise viewed/visited was then distributed en masse, a practice that popularized not only the artwork, but also influenced artistic movements, e.g., landscape scenes. 

This particular index lists each original artist, the title of the engraving, the engraver and its FMN location (indicated by the year and page number).  You may also view an Index of Engraving Titles or an Index of Engravers by clicking on the headings below.  Each engraving title is linked to its image (which will appear in a separate screen), and each FMN year is linked to that volume's main page. 

In the FMN volume, some engravings listed neither an engraver nor an original artist; this is indicated here by a blank in either of these columns.  The inscription engravings are not included in this index.

All names have been transcribed as they were printed in the FMN.  This method is prompted by the inconsistencies that appear in the signature of first names (initials or abbreviations): The engraver G. Corbould is most likely the same person as Geo. Corbould, but because I am not familiar with the art history of this period, I have transcribed the names exactly as they appear. Creating engravings was often a family business, hence more than one member of the family (with the same last name) contributed to a single volume, e.g. E. Finden and W. Finden.  The 1826 FMN contains two engravings signed only with the surname, "Finden." There is no evidence to attribute the engravings to either "E." or "W."