Author: Craig, William Marshall
Biography:
CRAIG, William Marshall (c. 1763/4-1829: ODNB)
Although he is sometimes thought to have been a brother of the Edinburgh architect James Craig, his probable year of birth makes it more likely that he was a nephew. The names of his parents are not known and no birth or baptismal record for a William Marshall Craig has been located. In 1786 he advertised as a miniature painter in Manchester and he exhibited in Liverpool in 1787 and at the Royal Academy (RA), London, in 1788. On 12 Sept. 1787 he married Eliza Worrell in Manchester; they had six children although three died in infancy. A son, John Kershaw Craig, became a painter and RA exhibitioner before being ordained as a clergyman. Craig moved to London where he married twice more. On 8 Aug. 1809 he married Elizabeth Boyce at St. Pancras; they had at least one daughter. On 6 May 1821 he married Maria Dutton at St. Marylebone; their son, Henry Douglas, was baptised at St. George’s, Hanover Square, on 27 Sept. 1824. Craig continued exhibiting at the RA until 1827 and he was drawing master to Princess Charlotte, miniature painter to the Duke and Duchess of York, and painter in watercolours to Queen Charlotte. He also contributed illustrations to books and published Scripture Illustrated to which other illustrators contributed. His Lectures on Drawing, Painting, and Engraving was issued in 1821. Paintings and illustrations by him are in the Victoria and Albert museum and numerous other collections. The exact date of his death is not known but he was buried at St. Pancras on 22 Jan. 1829. Sports of Love is his only book of verse. (ODNB 3 Apr. 2024; ancestry.co.uk 3 Apr. 2024; findmypast.co.uk 3 Apr. 2024)
Other Names:
- W. M. Craig