Sta.sh
Isaac Beckett was an English printmaker who specialized in mezzotint. Beckett was first apprenticed in London under a calico maker but later on learned the method of mezzotint from a print salesman. A large portion of his work was mezzotint portraits, in total he created about 171 during his career. The portraits he engraved were often based from paintings by Willem Wissing and Godfrey Kneller. Beckett had a successful publishing and printmaking company in Old Bailey, London where he self published his prints. He died at the age of thirty leaving his business to his wife, she however, sold it to another printmaker when she remarried 4 years later. In spite of his short career, Beckett was the first printer to perfect the use of mezzotint. Other than this basic information, not much else is known about Beckett's life because his business and stock was taken over by his pupil John Smith.
Original mezzotint engraving by Isaac Beckett and John Smith [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
here are some smashing examples of mezzotint right here on dA:
Tired 
Thank you.