George and Edward Dalziel: 19thC wood engravers

Dalziel brothers blue plaque in Clifton Road

Brothers George and Edward Dalziel, wood engravers best known for Lewis Carroll’s Alice books, had a house at 8 Clifton Road from 1885 to 1903. It was there they wrote their memoir A Record of 50 Years Work. This was produced mainly in conjunction with many of the most distinguished artists of the period

From London to Brighton

Dalziel Brothers were the leading wood engraving firm in Victorian London. Wood engraving was the medium of mass production, illustrating books, magazines, catalogues and packaging – everything from Dickens and Rossetti illustrations to medical journals and plumbers’ diagrams. The firm prospered for more than fifty years and George and Edward established a base in Brighton at the end of their working lives.

The Dalziel Project

Dr Bethan Stevens from the University of Sussex is directing the Dalziel Project, which sets out to uncover, investigate and interpret the Dalziels’ work. Dr Stevens said: ‘The Dalziels had enormous cultural power at a key moment in history, shaping the way people visualised things. It’s wonderful that their lives – and their link to Brighton – is to be celebrated in this way.’