The Brothers Dalziel (pronounced ) was a prolific wood-engraving business in Victorian London, founded in 1839 by George Dalziel.

The Dalziel family

In 1840, George (1 December 1815 – 4 August 1902) was joined in the business by his brother Edward Dalziel (1817–1905) and in subsequent years they were joined by their sister Margaret (1819–1894), brother John (1822–1869), and brother Thomas Dalziel (1823–1906). Along with at least three older brothers and one younger, they were children of the artist Alexander Dalziel of

Wooler Wooler ( ) is a town in Northumberland, England. It lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, near the Cheviot Hills. It is a popular base for walkers and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots". As well as many shops and ...

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

. George Dalziel trained under the wood-engraver Charles Gray in London from around 1835.

Business activity

The Dalziel Brothers worked with many important Victorian artists, producing illustrations for the burgeoning magazine and book market of the period. Among the artists they worked with were Arthur Boyd Houghton, Richard Doyle, Myles Birket Foster, John Gilbert,

William Holman Hunt William Holman Hunt (2 April 1827 – 7 September 1910) was an English painter and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His paintings were notable for their great attention to detail, vivid colour, and elaborate symbolism ...

John Everett Millais Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet ( , ; 8 June 1829 – 13 August 1896) was an English painter and illustrator who was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was a child prodigy who, aged eleven, became the youngest s ...

, John Proctor,

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti ( ; ), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator, and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brother ...

and

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. They cut the illustrations to

Edward Lear Edward Lear (12 May 1812 – 29 January 1888) was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet, who is known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limerick (poetry), limericks, a form he popularised. ...

's ''Book of Nonsense'' (1862);

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''. They also produced independent ventures, most notably ''The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ'' (London: Routledge, 1864), illustrated by Millais, and contributed humorous cartoons to magazines such as '' Fun'', which George and Edward acquired in 1865. Until the advent of photo-mechanical processes 1880, they were pre-eminent in their trade. Examples of their work can be seen in the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

in London. At the end of the nineteenth century they collaborated on an autobiographical summary of their work: ''The Brothers Dalziel, A Record of Work, 1840–1890'' published by Methuen."Record of Fifty Years’ Work, A"
FromOldBooks.org. Retrieved 2018-04-05. George Dalziel is buried in a family vault in the Egyptian Avenue in

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in North London, England, designed by architect Stephen Geary. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East sides. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for so ...

. Edward Dalziel is buried in a family vault in the Circle of Lebanon in Highgate Cemetery.

Gallery

George Dalziel00.jpg, Image taken from page 338 of 'Golden Thoughts from Golden Fountains. Arranged in fifty-two divisions. Illustrations by eminent artists, engraved by the Brothers Dalziel' (11056593894).jpg, PProg 02 Frontispiece.jpg, Family vault of George Dalziel.jpg, Family vault of George Dalziel in the Egyptian Avenue in

Dalziel, Edward 1905.jpg, Vault of Edward Dalziel in the Lebanon Circle in

References

Sources

External links

Biography of Edward DalzielExcerpts from the Dalziel Brothers autobiography, with some of their engravingsBooks with engravings by the Dalziel brothers
from the

University of Florida Digital Collections The University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC) are supported by the University of Florida Digital Library Center in the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida. The University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC) comprise a ...

* * * * * – and others credited to particular siblings {{Authority control British engravers Burials at Highgate Cemetery