Dillon, Charles Grills (McKechnie Section 7)

Recorded as 'Dillon' by Woodiwiss (British Silhouettes) and included in this Section on account of a silhouette of a naval officer, Captain Bloye (1813). Coincident addresses discovered by recent research, however, enable us to identify this artist with Charles G. Dillon, a miniature painter recorded by Long and Foskett. Two miniatures are referred to in Section Six. Long describes other examples of Dillon's work shown at the thirteenth exhibition of pictures at the Plymouth Athenaeum in 1833, quoting a contemporary comment that s Mr. Dillon's miniatures are very correct in likeness, and are very carefully finished'. Foskett notes that there are some engraved portraits after work by Dillon in the British Museum.

The silhouette of Captain Bloye, taken in March 1813, bears Dillon's Trade Label No. 2, which gives the address 10 St Aubyn Street, Dock (renamed Devonport in 1824). A cut silhouette (illustrated in Section One), apparently painted in c. 1814-16, is backed with Trade Label No. 3, which gives the address 40 St Aubyn Street.

During 1818 Dillon toured in Cornwall, as the following advertisement in the West Briton (2 October 1818) shows:

To the Nobility and Gentry of the County of Cornwall

Mr. DILLON

MINIATURE PAINTER, &c

from PLYMOUTH

Respectfully informs them that he is now at TRURO, in the way of his PROFESSION, where he intends to remain a fortnight only.

As Mr. D. has engagements at Falmouth, early commands are solicited.

Spécimens may be seen at his Lodgings, at Mr. REMFRY's, No. 40, Lemon Street.

Truro, September 30, 1818.

C. G. Dillon is listed in local directories of 1822 at 6 Union Street, Stonehouse, Plymouth; he is listed at the same address in Pigot's National Directory of 1830. Plymouth directories (not available for the years 1823-29) list him at 1 Buckland Place, Plymouth, in 1844. The directory entries describe Dillon either as 'miniature painter and engraver' or simply as 'miniature painter'. The only silhouettes by Dillon which I have seen date from his years spent at Dock; I have seen none which appear to have been painted during the tour of Cornwall.

Mr W. E. Fox-Smith owns a silhouette of Dillon which (according to the dealer from whom he acquired it) may be by Dillon's son; this suggests the possibility that the 1844 directory entry may in fact refer to the son. This silhouette, which bears no inscription, shows a man of between fifty and sixty years of age. He is wearing a bob wig and is dressed in a coat with gathered shoulders which suggests a date of c. 1820, though a man of this age might have worn such a coat at a later date.

The naval career of Dillon's sitter, Captain Robert Bloye, is of some interest. Bloye entered the Royal Navy in 1793, as a midshipman in Marlborough, and took part in Howe's action off Ushant on 1 June 1794. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1800, when he served in Spitfire. Later he served in Princess of Orange and Hibernia. He was promoted to commander in 1807, when he served in Lyra. He became Acting Captain of Surveillant, on service off the north of Spain, and gained post rank in 1813.

Although the silhouette of Captain Bloye is not painted with the precision of Charles Buncombe's work, it might be thought to show more artistry; this would be expected of a skilled miniaturist. It is interesting to compare, for instance, the style of the painting of the epaulette on this example with that of Buncombe. Whereas Buncombe almost always shows the whole of the epaulette (although, strictly speaking, the hindmost part of the fringe would not show in profile), Dillon's silhouette shows only what would be visible in profile. His manner of painting his sitter's ear might be considered slightly more realistic than Buncombe's. His treatment of the shirt-frill, however, is slight compared with Buncombe's normally more carefully defined rendering of this feature of dress. In making some of these comparisons, one must bear in mind that naval uniforms were less elaborate than the military uniforms which Buncombe depicted far more often.

The high collar of the shirt worn by Captain Bloye is shown merely by the paper on which the silhouette is painted, there being no indication of the use of Chinese white. Gum arabic appears to have been used to show the outlines of clothing detail. The captain's hair and whiskers are painted only with thinned pigment. There is no sign of any hatching on this silhouette.

Three trade labels are known. No. 1, printed on card, was on the miniature of Joseph Sambell (1810; see Section Six), and is recorded by Foskett:

DILLON

Miniature Painter and Engraver,

52

St. Aubyn Street,

DOCK

Profiles and Likenesses in va. styles.

No. 2, also printed on card, is on the profile of Captain Bloye (March 1813):

DILLON

Miniature Painter

10,

St. Aubyn Street,

DOCK

No. 3 is on the silhouette illustrated in Section One, taken c. 1814-16:

DILLON

MINIATURE PAINTER

40

St. Aubyn Street,

DOCK.

PROFILES AND LIKENESSES

in Various Styles.

A miniature painted in colour on card (see Section Six) is signed, on the left near the base, 'C. G. Dillon 1833.'

Ill 1609