Horace Beauchamp Seymour (1791-1851) by William Egley (1798-1870), after Jeab-Baptiste Isabey

William Egley (1798 – 19 March 1870), was an

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miniature A miniature is a small-scale reproduction, or a small version. It may refer to: * Portrait miniature, a miniature portrait painting * Miniature art, miniature painting, engraving and sculpture * Miniature (chess), a masterful chess game or probl ...

painter.

Life and work

Egley was born at

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

in 1798. Shortly after the boy's birth his father moved to

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

, and became confidential agent to the Walkers of

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. The gift of a box of colours which William received in early youth strengthened his desire to be a painter. However, his father wanted both himself and his brother to go into the trade of bookselling. They went to work at the publishing house and bookshop of William Darton,Son of

William Darton William Darton, Sr. (1755–1819) was a British publisher of children's books. His business was located on Gracechurch Street in London. Darton was the son of John Darton, an innkeeper. Darton's son William Darton, Jr. (1781–1854) was with the ...

(1755–1819) who founded the Quaker publishing firm of "Darton and Harvey". see William Roberts.
The book-hunter in London; historical and other studies of collectors and collecting
(Chicago A.C. McClurg, 1895). on

Holborn Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. The area has its roots ...

Hill,

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; but while Thomas pursued this calling to the end of his life, William, by chance visits to the exhibitions in

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

cultivated and stimulated his love of painting. Without any professional teaching he succeeded in finishing two pictures, the portraits of Colonel Ogleby and of Richard yates, the actor, which were received and exhibited by the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

in 1824. From that time until the year before his death he was a constant exhibitor, sending, in all, 160 miniatures to the Academy exhibitions, 2 pictures to the

British Institution The British Institution (in full, the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom; founded 1805, disbanded 1867) was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it w ...

, and 6 to the

Suffolk Street The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fi ...

Gallery. He was very successful in portraying children, with whom his genial temper made him a great favourite. Egley died in London on 19 March 1870, aged 72. He was twice married, and by his first wife left a son,

William Maw Egley William Maw Egley (1826 in London – 20 February 1916) was an English artist of the Victorian era. The son of the miniaturist William Egley, he studied under his father. His early works were illustrations of literary subjects typical of th ...

, a painter of historical subjects and a regular exhibitor.

References

External links

Portraits by Egley
(

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

).
Portraits in the Royal CollectionPortraits at the national Maritime Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Egley, William 1798 births 1870 deaths People from Doncaster 19th-century English painters English male painters Portrait miniaturists 19th-century English male artists