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Life
| 1797-1868 [used monogram “HB” as caricaturist]; b. Dublin, his father being a Catholic silk merchant, with family estates [descendent from the Norman D’Oillys]; ed. RDS drawing school; awarded a medal in 1805; trained under Gabrielli and John Comerford (miniaturist); did equestrian portraits incl. marquess of Sligo on horseback; issued “The life of a Racehorse”, in six prints he became the celebrated artist of Punch; left Ireland at some date between 1817 and 1821, motivated by the treatment of Catholics; conducted an unsuccessful portrait studio in London, 1821; |
| his “The Turning out of the Stag” (1825) accepted at Royal Academy (London); produced political caricatures for Thoma McLean, publisher, 1829-51 - all pseudonymously as “HB”; adhered to good-natured caricature; his subjects included Sir Robert Peel [PM], Thomas Spring Rice, and Daniel O’Connell - whom he supported and whose ‘larger than life’ public image he helped to form; m. Marianna Conan (d.1832 - dg. James Conan, of Dublin), with whom five sons and two dgs. [as infra] |
| Doyle revealed his identity at “HB” to Peel, 1843, when the fad for his parliamentary work had waned; lived at 17 Cambridge Tce., Hyde Park where he entered Disraeli, Thackeray, et al.; reluctantly retired, 1851; he was attached to his religion; experienced reduced circumstances in later life; moved to Maida Vale, 1864; d. 2 Jan. 1868; his caricaturist pseudonym “HB” was formed from I[ohn] and D, kept his identity hidden; Strickland notes that ‘the likenesses were well-preserved – they were hardly caricatures at all’ (Dictionary of Irish Artists); some of his work is in the Royal Academy (London); an oil portrait of Charles Moore from his hand hangs in the NGI, Dublin; a portrait of him by his son Henry is in the National Portrait Gallery (London). ODNB DIB |
Note: The Doyles were Catholic, although the elder Doyle was critical of O’Connell. Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, was a grandson of HB and a nephew of Richard, and was raised a Catholic though he did not remain one.
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Works
Prints, An Illustrative Key (McLean 1841, 1844) [of members of Parliament]; G. M. Trevelyan, ed. The Seven Years of William IV, A Reign Cartooned by John Doyle (London 1957), 7pp. + 62 pls.
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Criticism
Dorothy George, English Political Caricature 1793-1832 (Oxford 1959), Vol. II, pp.224-45, and Chap. XIV; James N. McCord, ‘The Image in England, the Cartoons of HB [John
Doyle]’, in Daniel O’Connell: Political Pioneer, ed.
Maurice R O’Connell (1991), pp.57-71.
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References
RIA: The entry in the Dictionary of Irish Biography (RIA 2006) is my Helen Andrews.
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Notes
Kith & Kin [1]: his children incl. James William Edmund (1822-92) Richard Doyle (1824-83), the Punch illustrator [q.v.], and Henry Edward Doyle (1827-97) [q.v.], Director of the Irish National Gallery, and Willam Altamount Doyle (1832-93), a surveyor in the Scottish office of works, and an amateur artist who showed work at the Royal Scottish Academy, 1862-87 and who was father of Arthur Conan Doyle [q.v.], creator of Sherlock Holmes.
Kith & Kin [2]: The Conan family lived at Mount Alverno, on the Vico Rd., Dalkey and were involved in the clothiering business in Dublin. One of the Conans - known as “Boss Conan” by schoolboy nick-name, was a teacher and later headmaster at at St. Gerards, Bray. Today Phelan Conan, Ltd., “Robemakers since 1845”, have premises at Fashion City, Ballymount, Dublin 24, Ireland. Jack Conan, a grandson of the “Boss”, can be seen in action for his school on 2 Feb. 2011 at Sportsfile online accessed 18.03.2011.]
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