William Paulet Carey (1759 – 21 May 1839) was an Irish art critic and publicist, known also as an engraver and dealer. In 1792 he joined the

Society of United Irishmen The Society of United Irishmen was a sworn association in the Kingdom of Ireland formed in the wake of the French Revolution to secure "an equal representation of all the people" in a national government. Despairing of constitutional reform, ...

in Dublin, but feeling unsupported as he himself faced charges of sedition, in 1794 he testified in the government case against the United Irishman

William Drennan William Drennan (23 May 1754 – 5 February 1820) was an Irish physician and writer who moved the formation in Belfast and Dublin of the Society of United Irishmen. He was the author of the Society's original "test" which, in the cause of ...

. In England he spent half a century promoting British art, most of his writings being distributed gratuitously. William Paulet Carey

Early life

Carey was born into an Irish Catholic family in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, the brother of John Carey and

Mathew Carey Mathew Carey (January 28, 1760 – September 16, 1839) was an Irish-born American publisher and economist who lived and worked in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the father of economist Henry Charles Carey. Early life and education Carey ...

. His father Christopher Carey was a baker and newspaper owner. Of two other brothers, James became a newspaper editor in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Carey studied drawing at the

Royal Dublin Society The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) ( ga, Cumann Ríoga Bhaile Átha Cliath) is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economi ...

's school. He began life as a painter and then became an engraver. After an accident to his eyes he had to abandon his career in art. He edited in Dublin the ''Sentimental and Masonic Magazine'' (1792–95).

Disaffected United Irishman

Stirred by news of revolution and reform in France and dissatisfied with the moderation of the established Catholic Committee, in October 1791, with some forty like-minded radical, Carey helped form the Catholic Society with Theobald McKenna as their secretary. They published the ''Declaration of the Catholic Society of Dublin to promote unanimity among Irishmen and remove religious prejudices'', written by McKenna, demanding total repeal of the penal laws as a matter of right. The declaration caused a split in the Catholic Committee. Led by Lord Kenmare, The more conservative and clerical members publicly withdrew. Although a clash with McKenna made his first application to join the

United Irishmen The Society of United Irishmen was a sworn association in the Kingdom of Ireland formed in the wake of the French Revolution to secure "an equal representation of all the people" in a national government. Despairing of constitutional reform, ...

problematic, he joined their Dublin Society in the new year, committing himself to an alliance with northern Presbyterians to secure full and immediate Catholic emancipation and parliamentary reform. With his brother James, Carey began to publish ''Rights of Irishman, or National Evening Star'', a paper that ran to 1795 carrying the United Irish message of a democratic union of "Catholic, Protestant and Dissenter". In 1792, he printed

's whose ''Address to the Volunteers'' which urged defiance of the law banning the Volunteer miitia movement and its political conventions. In 1793 he also published W. Todd Jones's ''Reply to an anonymous writer from Belfast'', whose painted Todd'ss protrait for an engraving. Todd, as MP for

Lisburn Lisburn (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with ...

(1783-1790) was an uncompromising proponent of emancipation and reform. Carey did not fit easily into the Dublin Society. He was unusual in the United Irishmen, for example, in that he took the side of the

journeymen A journeyman, journeywoman, or journeyperson is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that fie ...

in the contemporary labour agitation. Politically, he was aligned with

James Napper Tandy James Napper Tandy (February 1739 – 24 August 1803) was a United Irishmen, United Irishman who experienced exile, first in the United States and then in republic of France, France, for his role in attempting to advance a republican insurrectio ...

and John Binns. In November 1792 Carey reprinted from the United Irishmen's ''Northern Star'', published in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, a paragraph on local rejoicing at the outcome of the

Battle of Valmy The Battle of Valmy, also known as the Cannonade of Valmy, was the first major victory by the army of France during the Revolutionary Wars that followed the French Revolution. The battle took place on 20 September 1792 as Prussian troops comm ...

, and Arthur Wolfe warned him of a prosecution for

seditious libel Sedition and seditious libel were criminal offences under English common law, and are still criminal offences in Canada. Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection a ...

. The printing of Drennan's ''Address'' in December caused Carey further trouble with the Dublin administration. His creditors called in their debts, he sold the ''Star'' to Randal McAllister, and went into hiding. An attempt to get help from the United Irishmen led to his arrest and release on bail in March 1793. With a wife and a family he could not easily flee the country. Expecting more support from the Society than he received, Carey complained in letter sent under a pseudonym to, and was expelled from the Society in November 1793. This move followed exhaustive attempts by Carey to have the Society stand bail for him (so that he could leave without requiring his friends to pay the surety). Durey argues that Carey accurately analysed the use of the existing funds, to support leaders of higher social rank than he had. A government agent working undercover in the Society convinced William to testify against Drennan with a generous offer of compensation. In 1794 he was the chief witness in the treason trial of Drennan. On that occasion, he identified himself as a United Irishman, and may well have felt that in testifying to Drennan's authorship he was not entirely betraying his own democratic ideals. Michael Durey suggests that Carey was hostile to elite leadership in the Dublin Society whether it was from Catholic Committee members or from the "Inner Society", "Protestant but National", that Drennan had formed as a hedge against a Catholic sell-out of political reform in favour of emancipation alone. Carey was furiously cross-examined by

John Philpot Curran John Philpot Curran (24 July 1750 – 14 October 1817) was an Irish orator, politician, wit, lawyer and judge, who held the office of Master of the Rolls in Ireland. He was renowned for his representation in 1780 of Father Neale, a Catholic prie ...

, but according to Durey, Carey had done nothing to embroider the truth. Drennan was acquitted.

Aftermath of the Drennan trial

Having published his side of the story in late 1794, Carey spent some time in Philadelphia in 1795, and then came back to Dublin to run a government-subsidised paper, the ''General Evening Post'' (later the ''Volunteer Packet''). Its sale dwindled, according to Francis Higgins, to under 20 copies, and intimidation was used against those selling it or buying space for advertisements. Carey took part in the yeomanry volunteer force, and there ran into trouble, thought to be inciting the lower ranks against the officers. During the

Irish Rebellion of 1798 The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a republican revolutionary group influence ...

he left Ireland in June, for self-preservation, returning later.

In England

Carey left Dublin for England permanently, around the middle of 1799. A dealer in pictures, prints, and other works of art, he was one of the main agents used by John Leicester, 5th Baronet in the formation of his collection. For some years he had an establishment in Marylebone Street, London. He became chief art critic to the ''

Literary Gazette ''The Literary Gazette'' was a British literary magazine, established in London in 1817 with its full title being ''The Literary Gazette, and Journal of Belles Lettres, Arts, Sciences''. Sometimes it appeared with the caption title, "London Lite ...

''. Carey saluted the talent of

Francis Chantrey Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey (7 April 1781 – 25 November 1841) was an English sculptor. He became the leading portrait sculptor in Regency era Britain, producing busts and statues of many notable figures of the time. Chantrey's most notable w ...

the sculptor in the ''Sheffield Iris'', in 1805. At the end of 1816 he praised the graphical work of

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

, then little known, and wondered aloud what posterity would make of his lack of patrons; the significant unsigned obituary of Blake in the ''Literary Gazette'' in 1827 is tentatively assigned to Carey. He praised

Washington Allston Washington Allston (November 5, 1779 – July 9, 1843) was an American painter and poet, born in Waccamaw Parish, South Carolina. Allston pioneered America's Romantic movement of landscape painting. He was well known during his lifetime for ...

and his work ''Uriel Standing in the Sun'' to the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.James Montgomery the poet into prominence. After a visit to

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

in 1824, he wrote letters in the Cork and Dublin papers to promote the work of John Hogan the sculptor. Hogan was then able to visit Italy, to study art.

Last years

Carey settled in Birmingham about 1834. He spent time in Philadelphia, about 1836 to 1838, when he spoke there on ''National and Commercial Utility and Profit of the Arts of Design''. He sold items from his collection, one of the purchasers being

John Neagle John Neagle (November 4, 1796 – September 17, 1865) was a fashionable American painter, primarily of portraits, during the first half of the 19th century in Philadelphia. Biography Neagle was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His training in ...

. Carey died in Birmingham on 21 May 1839, aged 80.

Works

Carey produced some satirical and political engravings for the

1784 British general election The 1784 British general election resulted in William Pitt the Younger securing an overall majority of about 120 in the House of Commons of Great Britain, having previously had to survive in a House which was dominated by his opponents. Backgroun ...

, working with William Holland of Drury Lane. In 1787 he turned to Ireland and the matter of religion, Arthur O'Leary and William Campbell, who had joined sides in controversy with Richard Woodward. In 1789 he collected his political verse in ''The Nettle'', aimed at the

Marquess of Buckingham Marquess of Buckingham may refer to: * George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham (1592–1628) Marquess of Buckingham from 1618 until elevated to Duke of Buckingham in 1623 * George Nugent-Temple-Grenville, 1st Marquess of Buckingham (1753–1813), ...

, and published it under the pseudonym "Scriblerus Murtough O'Pindar" He did the copperplates in Geoffrey Gambado's (Henry William Bunbury's) ''Annals of Horsemanship'' (Dublin, 1792). He also made several plates for a collection of ethical maxims, the ''Morals of Horace'' translated by Elizabeth Grattan in Dublin in 1785. Duenna and Little Isaac Carey

In 1806 Carey wrote a pamphlet in defence of the

Princess of Wales Princess of Wales (Welsh: ''Tywysoges Cymru'') is a courtesy title used since the 14th century by the wife of the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. The current title-holder is Catherine (née Middleton). The title was firs ...

; in 1820 he published two other pamphlets, ''The Conspiracies of 1806 and 1813 against the Princess of Wales linked with the atrocious conspiracies of 1820 against the '', and ''The Present Plot showed by the Past''. In 1834 he contributed to ''The Analyst'', a Birmingham quarterly journal. He wrote also: *''Thoughts on the best mode of checking the Prejudices against British Works of Art'', York, 1801. *''A Critical Description of the Procession of Chaucer's Pilgrims to Canterbury'', painted by Stothard, Lond. 1808; second edition 1818. Carey stayed in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

in 1808 with

William Roscoe William Roscoe (8 March 175330 June 1831) was an English banker, lawyer, and briefly a Member of Parliament. He is best known as one of England's first abolitionists, and as the author of the poem for children '' The Butterfly's Ball, and the ...

, producing this critical work on

Thomas Stothard Thomas Stothard (17 August 1755 – 27 April 1834) was an English painter, illustrator and engraver. His son, Robert T. Stothard was a painter ( fl. 1810): he painted the proclamation outside York Minster of Queen Victoria's accession to the t ...

's Chaucer illustration, and meeting

Robert Cromek Robert Hartley Cromek (1770–1812) was an English engraver, editor, art dealer and entrepreneur who was most active in the early nineteenth century. He is best known for having allegedly cheated William Blake out of the potential profits of his e ...

through Roscoe. The book was dedicated to

John Leigh Philips John Leigh Philips (1761–1814), was a manufacturer in Manchester, England. Early life He was the son of John Philips (1734–1824), who founded the cotton spinning firm Philips & Lee. The family had significant community and legal connection ...

. It is reprinted, with annotations by Maria McGarrity, as Appendix 2 in ''Chaucer Illustrated'' (2003). *''Letter to J. A., a Connoisseur in London'', Manchester, 1809; to Colonel Anderdon. *''Cursory Thoughts on the Present State of the Fine Arts'', Liverpool, 1810. *''Recommendation of the Stained Glass Window of the Transfiguration for St. James's Church, Westminster'', 1815. *''Memoirs of Bartolozzi'', in the ''

European Magazine ''The European Magazine'' (sometimes referred to as ''European Magazine'') was a monthly magazine published in London. Eighty-nine semi-annual volumes were published from 1782 until 1826. It was launched as the ''European Magazine, and London Re ...

'', vols. lxvii. and lxviii. 1815. This ran through six numbers, but was left unfinished. *''Critical Description and Analytical Reviews of Death upon the Pale Horse'', painting by

Benjamin West Benjamin West, (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as '' The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the '' Treaty of Paris'', and '' Benjamin Franklin Drawin ...

, 1817. An edition was published at Philadelphia in 1836. *''A Descriptive Catalogue of a Collection of Paintings by British Artists in the possession at Sir John Fleming Leicester'', 1819. St James Street in an Uproar 1819

*''Desultory Exposition of an Anti-British System of Incendiary Publication'', 1819. This was an attack on

Benjamin Haydon Benjamin Robert Haydon (; 26 January 178622 June 1846) was a British painter who specialised in grand historical pictures, although he also painted a few contemporary subjects and portraits. His commercial success was damaged by his often tactles ...

and

James Elmes James Elmes (15 October 1782, London – 2 April 1862, Greenwich) was an English architect, civil engineer, and writer on the arts. Biography Elmes was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, and, after studying building under his father, and ar ...

: Haydon had used '' Annals of the Fine Arts'', edited by Elmes, to accuse Carey of writing in a complimentary fashion about Benjamin West for pay. *''Addenda to H. Reveley's Notices illustrative of the Masters'', 1820. *''Memoirs of B. West, R.A.'', in '' Colburn's New Monthly Magazine'', 1820. *''Variæ: Historical Observations on Anti-British and Anti-Contemporanian Prejudices'', 1822. Here Carey continued his attacks on Haydon. *''Patronage of Irish Genius'', Dublin, 1823. *''Critical Catalogue of the Verville Collection'', 1823. *''The National Obstacle to the National Public Style considered'', 1825. Subtitle ''Observations on the probable decline or extinction of British historical painting, from the effects of the Church exclusion of paintings''. *''Some Memoirs of the Patronage and Progress of the Fine Arts in England . . . with Anecdotes of Lord De Tabley'', 1820. *''Syllabus of a Course of Six Historical Lectures on the Arts of Design'', Glasgow, 1828. *''Appeal to the Directors of the Royal Irish Institution'', Dublin, 1828. *''Observations on the Primary Object of the British Institution for the Promotion of the Fine Arts'', Newcastle, 1829. *''Brief Remarks on the Anti-British Effect of Inconsiderate Criticism on Modern Art and the Exhibitions of the Living British Artists'', London, 1831. *''Ridolfi's Critical Letters'', Leeds, 1831. *''Ridolfi's Critical Letters on the Style of William Etty'', Nottingham, 1838. From the ''

Yorkshire Gazette The newspapers of Yorkshire have a long history, stretching back to the 18th century. Regional newspapers have enjoyed varying fortunes, reflected in the large number of now-defunct papers from Yorkshire. Existing newspapers Daily newspapers *' ...

''. *''Lorenzo's Critical Letters on the First Exhibition of the Worcester Institution'', second series. Worcester, 1834. A third series was issued in the following year. The ''Letters'' were published in the ''Worcester Herald''.

John Constable John Constable (; 11 June 1776 – 31 March 1837) was an English landscape painter in the Romanticism, Romantic tradition. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for revolutionising the genre of landscape painting with his pictures of Dedha ...

commented on the 1835 series, that they were a "parcel of sad stuff". *''Syllabus of various Lectures on the Fine Arts''. An unfinished work was a ''Life'' of

John Boydell John Boydell (; 19 January 1720 (New Style) – 12 December 1804) was a British publisher noted for his reproductions of engravings. He helped alter the trade imbalance between Britain and France in engravings and initiated a British tradition i ...

Family

Carey's first wife Dorothy died in 1791, shortly after his eldest son. He married again in 1792, to a Miss Lennon. One of his daughters, Elizabeth Sheridan Carey, wrote a volume of poems called ''Ivy Leaves'', privately printed in 1837.

References

*Michael Durey, ''The Dublin Society of United Irishmen and the Politics of the Carey-Drennan Dispute, 1792–1794'', The Historical Journal Vol. 37, No. 1 (Mar. 1994), pp. 89–111. Published by: Cambridge University Press. Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2640053

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Carey, William Paulet 1759 births 1839 deaths Irish engravers Irish art critics Irish writers