Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 06.djvu/240

 others. He soon became the head of his profession in London, where nothing equal to Bewick and his pupils had been produced before his arrival. With Bewick he was always in hopeless rivalry, yet, though he was no designer and some twenty-three years the junior of the Newcastle master, he may claim to be the founder of the 'London school' of wood-engraving, and to some extent to share with Bewick the credit of raising the character of his art in England. He specially excelled in engraving figures and interiors, but was less successful in outdoor scenes. The 'Cave of Despair,' after Thurston, in Savage's 'Practical Hints on Decorative Printing,' 1822, is generally considered his best plate, and shows his skill both in 'white' and 'black' line. Amongst the works illustrated in whole or in part by him were 'The History of England' published by Wallis and Scholey, 1804-10; Bloomfield's 'Wild Flowers,' 1806; and poems by George Marshall, 1812. He had many pupils, the most celebrated of whom was John Thompson. The work of Branston and Thompson can be compared in the illustrations to Puckle's 'Club,' 1817. Branston projected a volume of fables in rivalry with those of Bewick after designs by Thurston, but after a few of them were cut he abandoned the enterprise. He also engraved a few cuts of birds to show his superiority to the Newcastle engraver; but though beautifully cut, they were essentially inferior to Bewick's. Branston died at Brompton in 1827. He is generally called Robert Branston.

 BRANTHWAITE, WILLIAM, D.D. (d. 1620), translator of the Bible, was a member of an ancient family possessed of some property in the county of Norfolk, and one branch of which was settled at Hethel, near Wymondham. He was entered at Clare Hall, Cambridge, in 1578, and there took his B.A. degree in 1582. Two years afterwards, in 1584, he was admitted a fellow of Emmanuel College, which had been founded in the earlier part of that year. He proceeded to .the usual degrees M.A. in 1586, B.D. in 1593, and D.D. in 1598 and in 1607 was elected master of Gonville and Caius College. In 1607-11 he was on one of the two Cambridge committees appointed by James I to revise the translation of the Bible; the part of the work which fell to his committee being the Apocrypha, for which he was especially fitted by an extensive knowledge of Hebrew. He died during his vice-chancellorship in February 1619-20, leaving his books and considerable property to Caius College. There is a portrait of him in the Lodge of Caius, and in the gallery of Emmanuel College, to which foundation also he was a benefactor.

 BRANWHITE, CHARLES (1817–1880), landscape painter, son of [q.v.], was born at Bristol in 1817, and there studied art under his father, beginning as a sculptor. His association and friendship, however, with William John Muller, also a native of Bristol, induced him to give his undivided attention to water-colour painting, and his pictures, from the year 1849, formed no small attraction in the gallery in Pall Mall East. He adopted this change of art notwithstanding the fact that he had gained silver medals for bas-reliefs in 1837 and 1838 at the Society of Arts. His style of painting shows much of Muller's influence. Some of his most striking landscapes represent frost scenes. Among his works are: 'Post Haste,' 'April Showers on the Eastern Coast,' 'An old Lime-kiln,' 'Kilgarren Castle,' 'Winter Sunset,' 'Old Salmon Trap on the Conway,' 'The Environs of an Ancient Garden,' 1852, 'A Frozen Ferry,' 1853 (this and the previous picture received prizes from the Glasgow Art Union), 'Ferry on the Thames' (at the London International Exhibition, 1862), 'A Black Frost.' 'Snow Storm, North Wales,' 'Salmon Poaching,' 'On the River Dee, North Wales.'

 BRANWHITE, NATHAN (fl. 1825), miniature painter and engraver, eldest son of, the minor poet [q. v.], was probably a native of Lakenham in Suffolk. Devoting himself to the study of art, he became a pupil of Isaac Taylor's, and settled at No. 1 College Green, Bristol, where he practised painting with considerable success. He exhibited thirteen miniatures at the Royal Academy between the years 1802 and 1825. He was also a very good stipple engraver. Branwhite made an excellent engraving of Medley's picture of the Medical Society of London. A curious fact about this work was that Jenner came into great notice during the painting of the picture, and after it was finished it was decided to add his portrait.