william ridley was a british stipple engraver who worked as an illustrator for various magazines. he engraved over 400 portraits after artists including beechey, gainsborough, lawrence, opie, raeburn, and reynolds. the national portrait gallery has several of his works, including an engraving of william ridley. he was also known for his collaborations with william holl the elder. early life and career born in 1764, william ridley began his career as a stipple engraver, working on various magazines and illustrating portraits of notable figures. his work was highly regarded for its attention to…