{{Short description|British writer (1845–1903)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}} {{Use British English|date=August 2015}} {{Infobox person | name = Louis Alexander Fagan | image = Portrait of Louis Alexander Fagan (John Singer Sargent, 1893).jpg | image_size = | caption = Louis Alexander Fagan by John Singer Sargent | birth_date = 7 February 1845 | birth_place = Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies | death_date = 5 January 1903 (aged 57) | death_place = Florence | employer = British Museum }}
'''Louis Alexander Fagan''' (7 February 1845 – 5 January 1903) was an Anglo-Italian writer and artist. He worked in the Department of Prints and Drawings for the British Museum from 1869 to 1894, and wrote various books on the department. A painting of him by John Singer Sargent sold at auction for $118,750 in 2020.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2020-09-29 |title=On 50 Lots, Doyle's Important Paintings Auction Takes $1.7 Million - Antiques And The Arts WeeklyAntiques And The Arts Weekly |url=https://www.antiquesandthearts.com/on-50-lots-doyles-important-paintings-auction-takes-1-7-million/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902062745/https://www.antiquesandthearts.com/on-50-lots-doyles-important-paintings-auction-takes-1-7-million/ |archive-date=2023-09-02 |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=Antiques and the Arts |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Early life== Louis Alexander Fagan was born in 1845 in Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies to George Fagan and his wife Maria, their second son out of three sons and four daughters.<ref name="dnb" /> His grandfather was Robert Fagan,<ref name="bm">{{Cite web |title=Louis Alexander Fagan (Biographical details) |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303194840/https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/term_details.aspx?searchTerm=louis&orig=/research/search_the_collection_database/search_results_provenance.aspx&personId=125614&personAssociation=&termDisplay=Fagan,+Louis+Alexander&sortby= |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |website=British Museum}}</ref> a painter, diplomat and archaeologist. His younger brother, Charles Edward Fagan, later became the secretary of the Natural History Department at the British Museum.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Harmer |first=Sidney F. |date=1921-02-10 |title=Charles Edward Fagan, C.B.E., I.S.O |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=106 |issue=2676 |pages=766–767 |doi=10.1038/106766a0 |bibcode=1921Natur.106..766H |issn=0028-0836|doi-access=free }}</ref> In 1860, he was sent to England by a Queen's Messenger and was taken care of by Sir Anthony Panizzi, a friend of his father's who he would later write a biography on.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fagan |first=Louis Alexander |title=The Life of Sir Anthony Panizzi K.C.B |publisher=Remington & Company |year=1880 |volume=ii |page=213 }}</ref>
== Career == In 1869, Fagan began working at the Department of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum and in 1875, he was recorded to have a salary of £215 (£32,000 in today's money) for his role "act[ing] as Assistant Keeper in the Print Room".{{Refn|This is referring to the Prints and Drawings Department at the British Museum|name=printroom|group=fn}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last= |first= |date=1875 |title=The Athenaeum |url= |journal=The Athenaeum |language=en |publisher=Francis |volume= |issue=2518 |page=274 |doi= |issn= |via=}}</ref> In 1881, ''Thom's Irish Almanac and Official Directory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland'' listed him as "Assistant, Second Class...(acting Assistant Keeper)".<ref>{{Cite book |title=Thom's Irish Almanac and Official Directory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. |year=1881 |location=Ireland |page=156 |language=en}}</ref> In 1882, the ''Post Office London Directory, 1882'' recorded him as the same.<ref>{{Cite book |url= |title=Post Office London Directory, 1882. [Part 1: Official & Street Directories] |publisher=pr. For Frederic Kelly |year=1882 |pages=90 |language=English |oclc=936206233}}</ref>
In 1893, John Singer Sargent painted a 30.25x25.125 inch oil on canvas portrait of Fagan, which was sold in 2020 at Doyle's for $118, 750<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=John Singer Sargent {{!}} Doyle Auction House |url=https://doyle.com/auctions/20pt02-important-paintings/catalogue/220-john-singer-sargent |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927162225/https://doyle.com/auctions/20pt02-important-paintings/catalogue/220-john-singer-sargent |archive-date=27 September 2020 |access-date=2 September 2023 |website=doyle.com}}</ref>
In his lifetime he wrote 92 articles for the original 1985-1900 Dictionary of National Biography.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Louis Alexander Fagan |url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:Louis_Alexander_Fagan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902063517/https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:Louis_Alexander_Fagan |archive-date=2 September 2023 |access-date=2 September 2023 |website=Wikisource |language=en}}</ref> alt=Louis Fagan - Portrait of Antonio Panizzi|thumb|A Portrait of Antonio Panizzi by Fagan, owned by the British Museum
== Death == He retired in 1894 from ill health, and on 5 January 1903, he died in Florence.<ref name="dnb">{{cite DNB12|wstitle=Fagan, Louis Alexander |first=W. B.|last= Owen}}</ref> His painting was donated by his wife to the Reform Club in 1911.
==Family== On 8 November 1887, he married Caroline Frances Purves.<ref name="dnb" />
==Literary works==
=== English === ''Handbook to the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum'' (1876)
''The Life of Sir Anthony Panizzi, K.C.B'' (1881) in 2 vols.
''The Art of Michel' Angelo Buonarroti as Illustrated by the Various Collections in the British Museum'' (1883)
''Collectors' Marks'' (1183)
''A Catalogue Raisonné of the Engraved Works of William Woollett'' (1885)
''1836-1886. The Reform Club: Its Founders and Architect'' (1887)
''A Descriptive Catalogue of the Engraved Works of William Faithorne'' (1888)
''An easy walk through the British museum, or, How to see it in a few hours'' (1891)
=== Italian === ''Vita di Michelangelo Buonarroti. Catalogo dei disegni, sculture [&c.] di Michelangelo Buonarroti esistenti in Inghilterra, compilato da L. Fagan{{Refn|Translation: [The] Life of Michelangelo Buonarroti. [With] Catalogue of drawings, sculptures etc. by Michelangelo Buonarroti existent in England, compiled by L. Fagan|name=trans1|group=fn}}'' (1875)
''Lettere ad Antonio Panizzi di uomini illustri e di amici italiani, 1823-1870''{{Refn|Translation: Letters to Antonio Panizzi from distinguished men and Italian friends, 1823-1870 |name=trans2|group=fn}} (1880)
=== Contributions to other literary works === He edited ''Letters of Prosper Merimée to Panizzi'' (1881) in 2 vols. as well as their French and Italian counterparts. He also translated T''he Masters of Raffaello (Raphael Sanzio)'' (1882) by Marco Minghetti into English.
==Artwork== <gallery mode="packed" heights="150" caption="Artwork"> File:Louis Fagan - Frontispiece, Souvenirs of Southern Italy (British Museum).png|alt=Louis Fagan - Frontispiece, Souvenirs of Southern Italy|Frontispiece, Souvenirs of Southern Italy File:Louis Fagan - Maccaroni Eaters (British Museum).png|alt=Louis Fagan - Maccaroni Eaters|Maccaroni Eaters File:Louis Fagan - View at Baia (British Museum).png|alt=Louis Fagan - View_at_Baia (British_Museum)|View at Baia File:Louis Fagan - Old Italian Man, Souvenirs of Southern Italy (British Museum).png|alt=Louis Fagan - Old Italian Man, Souvenirs of Southern Italy (British_Museum)|Old Italian Man, Souvenirs of Southern Italy File:Louis Fagan - Landscape, viewed from a terrace on a hillside (British Museum).png|alt=Louis Fagan - Landscape, viewed from a terrace on a hillside (British_Museum)|Landscape, viewed from a terrace on a hillside </gallery>
==Notes== {{reflist|group=fn}}
==References== {{wikisource|works=or}} {{commons}} {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Gutenberg author | id=35544| name=Louis Fagan}} * {{Internet Archive author |sname=Louis Alexander Fagan}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fagan Louis Alexander}} Category:1845 births Category:1903 deaths Category:19th-century British writers Category:Italian emigrants to the United Kingdom Category:Employees of the British Museum Category:19th-century Neapolitan people Category:Historians of libraries