Original Hand-coloured Aquatint of Portree, Skye by William Daniell, from A Voyage round Great Britain, 1819

Original Hand-coloured Aquatint of Portree, Skye by William Daniell, from A Voyage round Great Britain, 1819

Born in Surrey in 1769 to a family of humble origins, William Daniell was effectively raised by his uncle, the landscape artist Thomas Daniell, who he was sent to live with after his father’s death in 1779. William learned his trade assisting his uncle, who he accompanied to India in 1784 to work on a series of prints documenting the subcontinent over the next sixteen years. This major work, Oriental Scenery, was published to great success upon their return to England.

As well as a printmaker, William Daniell (1769–1837) was a renowned English landscape and marine painter. His work was exhibited at the Royal Academy and the British Institution and he became a Royal Academician in 1822 – winning over John Constable in the final ballot by 17 votes to 11.