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 Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies to George Fagan and his wife Maria, their second son out of three sons and four daughters.[2] His grandfather was Robert Fagan,[3] a painter, diplomat and 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

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
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  1. 1 2 "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. 1 2 3 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. ↑ Harmer, Sidney F. (10 February 1921). "Charles Edward Fagan, C.B.E., I.S.O". Nature. 106 (2676): 766–767. Bibcode:1921Natur.106..766H. doi:10.1038/106766a0. 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. Francis (2518): 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. ↑ Post Office London Directory, 1882. [Part 1: Official & Street Directories]. pr. For Frederic Kelly. 1882. p. 90. 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.
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