Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Dagley, Richard
DAGLEY, RICHARD (d. 1841), subject painter and engraver, was an orphan, and was educated at Christ's Hospital. Having a decided taste for the fine arts, and being a delicate child, he was apprenticed to Cousins, jeweller and watchmaker, which business then included painting of ornaments and miniatures. His taste and industry rendered him a valuable servant, and he married one of his master's daughters. Dagley was very intimate with Henry Bone [q. v.], with whom he worked for some considerable time, enamelling views on the backs of watches and other compositions on bracelets, rings, and brooches. In the course of time he took to water-colour drawing, made several medals, and published a work entitled ‘Gems selected from the Antique,’ with illustrations, 4to, London, 1804, with plates designed and engraved by him. This brought his name before the public, and led to his illustrations to ‘Flim-flams,’ a work of the elder D'Israeli. As all these pursuits did not yield him a living, he accepted an engagement as drawing master in a lady's school at Doncaster. He, however, returned to London, and lived in Earl's Court Terrace in 1815, and was much occupied in reviewing books on art and illustrating publications. In 1822 he produced another volume on gems, with some poetry by Dr. G. Croly; ‘Takings,’ the illustrations of a humorous poem; and ‘Death's Doings,’ being a series of designs suggested by Holbein's ‘Dance of Death.’ He also wrote a catalogue raisonné of the Vernon Gallery, &c., and died in 1841. Dagley exhibited altogether sixty pictures at the Royal Academy between 1785 and 1833. His first work was entitled ‘The Student;’ at that period he resided at 12 Bateman's Buildings, Soho Square. He also exhibited several times at the British Institution and Suffolk Street.
[Gent. Mag. 1841, pt. i. 662–3; Mrs. Hofland in Art Union for May 1841; Redgrave's Dict. of English Artists.]