William Home Lizars Biography
Swallow Tail and Scarce Swallow Tail Butterflies – Illustration by W.H. Lizars circa 1855
DIED: March 30, 1859, Jedburgh
FATHER: Daniel Lizars (d. 1812)
BROTHER: Daniel Lizars
BROTHER: John Lizars (b. about 1787 d. 21st May, 1860), an Edinburgh surgeon and author
SISTER: Jane Home Lizars (married Sir William Jardine)
William Home Lizars was born at Edinburgh in 1788. He was the eldest son of the engraver, Daniel Lizars, to whom he was apprenticed in 1802. His father, however, placed him as a student with the famous John Graham, Master of the Trustees’ Academy, where for a time he was a fellow-pupil with Wilkie. In 1812 Lizars sent to the Exhibition of the Royal Academy a Reading of the Will and a Scotch Wedding. These were hung on the line, and roused much interest in the young artist, for whom a brilliant career was foretold. Unfortunately Daniel Lizars died in the course of the same year, and his son was compelled to transfer his attention to the business of engraving and copper-plate printing.
Being a man of great energy and force of character, his assistance was sought at the foundation of the Scottish Academy in 1826, although he had then long given up the practice of his art. From 1826 to 1830, when he resigned, he was an Associate engraver. Lizars died at Jedburgh in 1859. His two chief works—those mentioned above—were given to the National Gallery of Scotland by his widow. Though rather hot and red in colour, they are full of freedom and character, and are excellently composed.
[Above excerpt from Scottish painters: a critical study By Sir. Walter Armstrong]
source: http://books.google.ca/books?id=Ug4UAAAAQAAJ http://www.archive.org/stream/biographicalcycl00bostuoft/biographicalcycl00bostuoft_djvu.txt http://archive.org/stream/fastiecclesiu02scotuoft/fastiecclesiu02scotuoft_djvu.txt http://archive.org/stream/jstor-4070646/4070646_djvu.txt http://archive.org/stream/monumentsmonumen01rogeiala/monumentsmonumen01rogeiala_djvu.txt