Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from A Dictionary of Artists: Who Have Exhibited Works in the Principal London Exhibition of Oil Paintings From 1760 to 1880
HE object in publishing this Dictionary of Artists, was to supply, if possible, a want long felt by myself, which may also be common to other students of the history of art. It was a desire to gain further information concerning the less known artists of England that prompted me to commence the series of manuscript lists, alphabetically arranged, of the works of those artists who had contributed to the five principal places of exhibition in London. The series completed down to the year 1880, which included nearly names, has already been found of great use not only by myself but also by such critics and students of art as have consulted it.
As the cost of printing the whole series would have been too great, I have extracted such particulars as could be compressed into one line, with the endeavour, so far as I was able, during limited leisure time, to ascertain the full Christian names of the artists mentioned. Strange though it may seem, the catalogues of the different exhibitions have been of little use for this purpose, as from the first the compilers have either not been supplied with a full name with the pictures, or else they have neglected to print it. This defect has of late been corrected to a great extent, but there still remains much to be done, and I trust that for the future those gentlemen who may be responsible for the accuracy of catalogues of the various exhibitions will be more careful both to print those names supplied to them, and to request that all artists will clearly write their names in full. This may not at first seem necessary, but I am sure that all those who may refer to this Dictionary will, on finding a number of identical initials, be convinced that it will be of great service to future students of art to have the names in full. In the earliest catalogues extant the authors simply printed Mr. (without the Christian name or initials), and this is the reason why so many names have no initial at all in this Dictionary. In the Royal\ Academy catalogues only are the full Christian names of members and associates printed, while at the Society of British Artists, Suffolk Street, even the secretaries do not know the Christian names of many of their own members. In the books themselves containing 'the signatures of membership, a scrutiny has shown that even in them, in a majority of cases, only initials have been used.
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