Thursday, June 19, 2014

New engravings added to the Hotel collection.

Some engravings by John Kay have been recently added to our collection.

John Kay (1742 – February 21, 1826) was a Scotish caricaturist and engraver born near Dalkeith in Midlothian. He was originally a barber-surgeon, but after the success obtained with the first caricatures, he then dedicated to it, professionally.

Kay's portraits were collected by Hugh Paton and published under the title A series of original portraits and caricature etchings by the late John Kay, with biographical sketches and illustrative anecdotes (Edinburgh, 2 vols. 4to, 1838; 8vo ed., 4 vols., 1842; new 4to ed., with additional plates, 2 vols., 1877), forming a unique record of the social life and popular habits of Edinburgh at its most interesting epoch. 

Those books are nowadays difficult to find as most of them have been mutilated for their original engravings.


Print Title: Napier, Pilmer, Clarkson of the Hopetoun Fencibles
 - Original Print 1795 by John Kay

Our gratitude to Mr. Mellon for helping us to find some.

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