William Egley
(1798-1870), ArtistArtist associated with 85 portraits
William Egley was employed as a bookkeeper and taught himself to paint in his spare time. By 1824, he had reached a sufficiently high standard to have his work accepted by the Royal Academy; that year he exhibited portraits of Lieutenant Colonel Sir David Ogleby and of actor Frederick Yates. Egley gave up his other employment and became a full-time miniaturist, exhibiting almost every year at the Royal Academy until his death. He produced portraits of many distinguished figures and was particularly adept at portraying children. He painted in watercolour on ivory, which was a standard technique of the period.
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