The Graver, the Brush, and the Ruling Machine: The Training of Late-Nineteenth-Century Wood Engravers.

In America in the mid to late nineteenth century, wood engraving was the most practical and popular method of reproducing illustrations. Hundreds of young people, such as Hiram C. Merrill and Elbridge Kingsley, entered the field of art through training in wood engraving. Typically, the men served apprenticeships in illustration shops while the women studied at schools of design. This training provided steady employment in wood engraving shops for many, while it led others to become illustrators or fine artists. In the mid-1890s photographic methods of reproduction replaced wood engraving, forcing most wood engravers to find other means of support.