Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK)

Tantulus ruber. With descriptive text. After Josiah Wood Whymper. Founded in 1698, the SPCK is the oldest Anglican publishing house.
Josiah Wood Whymper began his artistic career initially hoping to become a sculptor but soon turned to watercolours and engraving. Whilst working at the Penny Magazine Whymper recognised the advantages of wood engravings for illustrated publications and established a studio with his brother Ebenezar. Wood engraving used blocks which could be fitted into letter presses allowing for text and images of fine detail to be printed together, and at a fraction of the cost of using separate steel plates for images.

In his time Whymper was a much in demand master of the technique, working with the great natural history artist Joseph Wolf as well as providing images for Dr Livingston’s missionary travels, Edward Lane’s Arabian Knights, Joseph Hooker’s Himalayan journals and prolific publishers the SPCK (Society for the Profusion of Christian Knowledge).

The SPCK was founded in 1698 to promote religion and education, particularly in prisons and for children. Prior to the 19th century only a limited number of children received an education; schooling was developed and driven by the church and charities like the SPCK before the Education Act of 1880 began formal state education.

Whymper was commissioned to produce lively images which were accompanied by eloquent text. Amongst the pages of the SPCK, children could transport themselves to far away lands with images of animals they were unlikely to ever see; menageries were generally private and the Zoological Society London was not open to the public until 1847.

Whymper’s son Edward, better known for completing the first ascent of the Matterhorn, continued his father’s work but soon wood engraving gave way to photography, and Edward could earn considerably more with guidebooks and enthusiastic lectures on mountaineering. The SPCK continues to publish to this day.