William Harvey (13 July 1796 – 13 January 1866) was a British wood-engraver and illustrator.

Born at Newcastle upon Tyne, Harvey was the son of a bath-keeper. At the age of 14, he was apprenticed to Thomas Bewick, and became one of his favorite pupils. Bewick describes him as one "who both as an engraver & designer, stands preeminent" at his day (Memoir, p. 200). He engraved many woodblocks for Bewick's Aesop's Fables (1818).

Harvey moved to London in 1817, studying drawing with Benjamin Haydon, and anatomy with Charles Bell. In 1821, he made a wood-engraving after Haydon in imitation of engraving, the large block of the Assassination of L. S. Dentatus. This was probably the then most ambitious woodblock which had been cut in England.

Harvey switched to design, after the death of John Thurston, the then leading wood designer in London. One of his earliest works is his illustrations for Alexander Henderson's History of Ancient and Modern Wines in 1824.

His masterpieces are his illustrations to Northcote's Fables (1823–33) and to E. W. Lane's The Arabian Nights' Entertainments (1838–40).

Harvey is buried in Richmond Cemetery.^[1]

Gallery

• Illustrations to The Arabian Nights (1838–40, woodcuts)
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  Illustration to The Story of Azeez and Azeezeh
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  Illustration to The Story of the Two Royal Mendicants
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  Illustration to The Story of the Fisherman
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  Illustration to The Story of uns El-Wojood
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  Illustration to The Story of Alee of Cairo
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  Illustration to The Story of the Prince Kamar ez-Zeman, and the Princess Budoor
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  Illustration to The Story of Alee the son of Bekkar, and Shems en-Nahr
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  Illustration to The Story of the Prince Kamar ez-Zeman, and the Princess Budoor
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  Illustration to The Story of Abd Allah of the Land and Abd Allah of the Sea
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  Illustration to The Story of ... El-Ward Fi-l-Akma'm
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  Illustration to The Story of the Two Princes El-Amjad and El-As'ad
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  Illustration to The Fifth Voyage of Es-Sindbad of the Sea
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  Illustration in notes to The Story of Maaroof
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  Illustration to The Story of Maaroof
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  Illustration to The Story of Aboo Seer and Abipp (sp) Keer
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  Illustration to The Story of Abd Allah of the Land ...
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  Illustration in notes to chapter IX
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  Illustration to The Story of Seyf El-Mulook and Bedeea El-Jemal
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  Illustration to The Story of the City of Brass
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  Illustration to The Story of Ibra'heem and Jemeeleh
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  Illustration to The Story of Joodar
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  Illustration to The Story of Hasan of El-Basrah
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  Illustration to The Story of the Merchant and the Jinnee
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  Illustration to The Story ... of the Black Islands
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  Illustration to The Story told by the Sulta'n's Steward
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  Illustration to The Story told by the Tailor