François Jacques Dequevauviller was the son of the French engraver Nicolas-Barthelemy François Dequevauviller (1745–1807). He studied printmaking techniques under his father and later with the eminent engraver, August Gaspard Louis Desnoyer, and became particularly known for his engravings of famous portraits of subjects such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Hans Holbein and Thomas Jefferson. Examples of his work are held in collections worldwide including the British Museum, the National Library of Australia and the Harvard Art Museum.