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Doyle, Richard

Biography: Richard Doyle (1824–83), also known as 'Dickie', was an illustrator, printmaker, and watercolour painter. Born in London, he was the son of the Dublin-born John Doyle (1797–1868), who was an artist and political cartoonist. Richard Doyle displayed talent as a draughtsman from an early age and one of his first works was an illustrated manuscript entitled 'Dick Doyle's journal' (1840), based on letters to his father describing his day-to-day activities. He went on to work as a comic illustrator for the magazine 'Punch' from 1843, designing the periodical’s first cover and masthead. Doyle gained public recognition for his ability to capture the humour and vivacity of everyday life. In 1850, he resigned from 'Punch' because of its increasingly anti-Roman Catholic stance. From the 1850s, Doyle continued to work as a book illustrator, contributing designs to publications including the annual Christmas books of Charles Dickens. Doyle was very much celebrated for his illustrations of fairy tales, including his colour designs for the poem 'In Fairyland' by the Irish writer William Allingham (1824–89), published in 1870.