William Doughty
William Doughty (1757–1782), a painter and engraver, was born in York in 1757. In 1776, he became a pupil of Sir Joshua Reynolds, and after an unsuccessful attempt as a portrait painter in Ireland, he in 1779 settled down in London; but in the following year he set sail for Bengal, having just married a servant girl, from Reynolds's house. His ship, however, was captured by the French and Spanish, by whom he was brought to Lisbon, where he died in 1782.
William Doughty
William Doughty · Public domain
- Name
- William Doughty
- Born
- 1757
- Birthplace
- York, England, Great Britain
- Died
- 1782
- Place of death
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Occupation
- painter · printmaker
- Languages
- English
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William Doughty (1757–1782), a painter and engraver, was born in York in 1757. In 1776, he became a pupil of Sir Joshua Reynolds, and after an unsuccessful attempt as a portrait painter in Ireland, he in 1779 settled down in London; but in the following year he set sail for Bengal, having just married a servant girl, from Reynolds's house. His ship, however, was captured by the French and Spanish, by whom he was brought to Lisbon, where he died in 1782.
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In this article
Biography
Biography
Two paintings which he exhibited were a 'Circe' and a portrait of Sir Joshua Reynolds; but he was more successful with his etchings and mezzotint portraits, among which are the following: • Thomas Beckwith, the Antiquary of York. • Thomas Gray, the Poet. • Admiral Keppel; after Sir Joshua Reynolds. • William Mason, the Poet; after the same. • Mary Palmer, the niece of Sir Joshua Reynolds, afterwards Marchioness of Thomond; after the same. • Dr. Samuel Johnson; after the same.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — William Doughty • Born — 1757 • Birthplace — York, England, Great Britain • Died — 1782 • Place of death — Lisbon, Portugal • Illustration — William Mason, now in the National Portrait Gallery
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York.
Birth place
Lisbon.
Death place
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reference work
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Prints
4,138 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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