The Brothers Dalziel / A Record of Fifty Years Work in Conjunction with many of the Most Distinguished Artists of the Period 1840-1890

by George Dalziel; Edward Dalziel

By permission of Messrs. Herbert Virtue & Co., Ltd.]

Bowerswell Perth.
14 Jany. 59.

Dear Sir,

Nothing can be more exquisitely rendered than the "Importunate Widow". There are two or three little trifles wh. I will tell you when I come up. It appears to have been better cut than any other I have ever seen, you have only to show it to any artist, & he will at once see how it is executed—The two I am about are the "Ten Virgins". I will try & send you one next week. I am only sorry that I cannot turn them out faster. I am charmed with yr. work.

Faithfully y^rs,
John Everett Millais

This, with many other similar disappointments of help which we had confidently relied upon, caused the project to hang fire, until at last, in 1880, we resolved to abandon the idea of an Illustrated Bible, and publish some of the engravings we had made in a folio under the title of "Dalziel's Bible Gallery."

That our difficulties in carrying out the elaborate project we had formed began at an early date, the following extract from a letter by Sir John Millais, dated February 8th, 1863, will show: