William Dickinson
(1746-1823), Engraver and printsellerSitter in 1 portrait
Artist associated with 85 portraits
It is unknown where Dickinson trained as an engraver, but in 1773 he began publishing his own prints. By 1778, he had entered into partnership with the engraver Thomas Watson. They took over the print shop of Walter Shropshire in New Bond Street, where they had a stock of plates based on modern artists including Reynolds. Watson died in 1781 but Dickinson continued with the business. He built up a large stock of modern plates and in 1791 he was appointed engraver to the Prince of Wales. Two years later, he went bankrupt. He moved to France in 1797 where he worked as a mezzotint engraver. In Paris, he engraved portraits of the king of Saxony in 1811 and of the Emperor Napoleon in 1815.
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Jim Sherry
28 February 2020, 20:07
The William Dickinson referenced in your link was a printseller, not an MP. He was also living in France at the time of Gillray's print, so it can't be him in Gillray's "Hope." This is the one you probably want. (http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/dickinson-william-i-1745-1806) He was at least an MP at the right time. But personally I question the identification of Gillray's figure as Dickinson at all.
He had no involvement in the Robson debate depicted in "Despair." And his votes in Parliament do not suggest that he was a fan of Addington.