Louis Alexander Fagan

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Louis Alexander Fagan
Louis Alexander Fagan by John Singer Sargent
Born7 February 1845
Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
Died5 January 1903
Florence
NationalityItalian/British
EmployerBritish Museum

Louis Alexander Fagan (7 February 1845 – 5 January 1903) was an Anglo-Italian writer and artist. He worked in the Department of Prints and Drawings for the British Museum from 1869 to 1894, and wrote various books on the department. A painting of his by John Singer Sargent sold at auction for $118,750 in 2020.[1]

Early life

Louis Alexander Fagan was born in 1845 in

archaeologist. His younger brother, Charles Edward Fagan, later became the secretary of the Natural History Department at the British Museum.[4] In 1860, he was sent to England by a Queen's Messenger and was taken care of by Sir Anthony Panizzi, a friend of his father's who he would later write a biography on.[5]

Career

In 1869, Fagan began working at the Department of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum and in 1875, he was recorded to have a salary of £215 (£32,000 in today's money) for his role "act[ing] as Assistant Keeper in the Print Room".[fn 1][6] 1881, Thom's Irish Almanac and Official Directory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland listed him as "Assistant, Second Class...(acting Assistant Keeper)".[7] In 1882, the Post Office London Directory, 1882 recorded him as the same.[8]

In 1893, John Singer Sargent painted a 30.25x25.125 inch oil on canvas portrait of Fagan, which was sold in 2020 at Doyle's for $118, 750[1][9]

In his lifetime he wrote 92 articles for the original 1985-1900

Dictionary of National Biography.[10]

Louis Fagan - Portrait of Antonio Panizzi
A Portrait of Antonio Panizzi by Fagan, owned by the British Museum

Death

He retired in 1894 from ill health, and on 5 January 1903, he died in Florence.[2] His painting was donated by his wife to the Reform Club in 1911.

Family

On 8 November 1887, he married Caroline Frances Purves.[2]

Literary works

English

Handbook to the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum (1876)

The Life of Sir Anthony Panizzi, K.C.B (1881) in 2 vols.

The Art of Michel' Angelo Buonarroti as Illustrated by the Various Collections in the British Museum (1883)

Collectors' Marks (1183)

A Catalogue Raisonné of the Engraved Works of William Woollett (1885)

1836-1886. The Reform Club: Its Founders and Architect (1887)

A Descriptive Catalogue of the Engraved Works of William Faithorne (1888)

An easy walk through the British museum, or, How to see it in a few hours (1891)

Italian

Vita di Michelangelo Buonarroti. Catalogo dei disegni, sculture [&c.] di Michelangelo Buonarroti esistenti in Inghilterra, compilato da L. Fagan[fn 2] (1875)

Lettere ad Antonio Panizzi di uomini illustri e di amici italiani, 1823-1870[fn 3] (1880)

Contributions to other literary works

He edited Letters of Prosper Merimée to Panizzi (1881) in 2 vols. as well as their French and Italian counterparts. He also translated The Masters of Raffaello (Raphael Sanzio) (1882) by Marco Minghetti into English.

Artwork

  • Artwork
  • Louis Fagan - Frontispiece, Souvenirs of Southern Italy
    Frontispiece, Souvenirs of Southern Italy
  • Louis Fagan - Maccaroni Eaters
    Maccaroni Eaters
  • Louis Fagan - View_at_Baia (British_Museum)
    View at Baia
  • Louis Fagan - Old Italian Man, Souvenirs of Southern Italy (British_Museum)
    Old Italian Man, Souvenirs of Southern Italy
  • Louis Fagan - Landscape, viewed from a terrace on a hillside (British_Museum)
    Landscape, viewed from a terrace on a hillside

Notes

  1. ^ This is referring to the Prints and Drawings Department at the British Museum
  2. ^ Translation: [The] Life of Michelangelo Buonarroti. [With] Catalouge of drawings, scultpures etc. byi Michelangelo Buonarroti existent in England, compiled by L. Fagan
  3. ^ Translation: Letters to Antonio Panizzi from distinguished men and Italian friends, 1823-1870

References

Wikisource has original works by or about:
Louis Alexander Fagan
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Louis Fagan.
  1. ^ a b "On 50 Lots, Doyle's Important Paintings Auction Takes $1.7 Million - Antiques And The Arts WeeklyAntiques And The Arts Weekly". Antiques and the Arts. 29 September 2020. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Owen, W. B. (1912). "Fagan, Louis Alexander" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  3. ^ "Louis Alexander Fagan (Biographical details)". British Museum. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  4. ISSN 0028-0836
    .
  5. ^ Fagan, Louis Alexander (1880). The Life of Sir Anthony Panizzi K.C.B. Vol. ii. Remington & Company. p. 213.
  6. ^ "The Athenaeum". The Athenaeum (2518). Francis: 274. 1875.
  7. ^ Thom's Irish Almanac and Official Directory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Ireland. 1881. p. 156.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. OCLC 936206233
    .
  9. ^ "John Singer Sargent | Doyle Auction House". doyle.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. ^ "Louis Alexander Fagan". Wikisource. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.

External links

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