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94:, where he served 7 years as a journeyman but not being an Edinburgh citizen had to purchase the freedom to trade as a barber from the Society of Surgeon-Barbers, which he eventually did in December 1771 at age 29, on payment of £40. He then set up business on the High Street in Edinburgh. He had several high ranking clients and made friends with several, notably William Nisbet of
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In 1784 he began engraving his drawings and published his first caricature: James
Robertson of Kincraigie, "the daft highland laird". In 1785, induced by the favour which greeted certain attempts of his to etch in aquafortis, he took down his barber's pole and opened a small print shop in
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117:(Edinburgh, 2 vols. 4to, 1838; 8vo ed., 4 vols., 1842; new 4to ed., with additional plates, 2 vols., 1877), forming a unique record of the social life and popular habits of Edinburgh at its most interesting epoch. Kay's famous shop on the
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In 1762 he married Lilly Steven by whom he had ten children all of which died young except for one son, William Kay. Lilly died in 1785 and in 1787 Kay married
Margaret Scott (d.1835).
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132:. The British Museum has extensive holdings of his works, including two albums apparently assembled by Kay, both described in the
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A series of original portraits and caricature etchings by the late John Kay, with biographical sketches and illustrative anecdotes
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Catalogue of
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This article about an etcher or maker of prints in other media (excluding engravers) is a
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He died at 227 High Street in
Edinburgh and was buried at the north-west corner of
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and was relatively wealthy. When his father died in 1748, John was sent to live in
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The complete two volumes of John Kay's
Originals with searchable text and images
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Kay's portraits were collected by Hugh Paton and published under the title
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59:(1742 – 21 February 1826) was a Scottish caricaturist and engraver.
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John Kay was born in April 1742 in
Gibraltar Cottage just south of
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321:. London, England: Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd. p. 129.
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Dictionary of
British Cartoonists and Caricaturists, 1730-198
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Chambers, Robert (1874–1875). Thomas
Thomson (ed.).
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437:Evans, Hilary & Evans, Mary (1981),
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635:19th-century Scottish male artists
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98:who became a constant companion.
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451:Moffat. Sandy (1981), review of
213:Alexander Gordon, Lord Rockville
410:George, M Dorothy (1870–1954).
293:Peter Williamson (Indian Peter)
238:Sir Archibald Hope, 9th Baronet
147:Some persons caricatured by Kay
650:Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard
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414:. London: The British Museum.
385:Grant's Old and New Edinburgh
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298:Alexander ("Lang Sandy") Wood
223:William "Spread Eagle" Grinly
563:. You can help Knowledge by
510:. You can help Knowledge by
178:James Burnett, Lord Monboddo
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49:A memorial stone to Kay in
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218:John Grieve (Lord Provost)
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424:Kay's Originals vol.1 p.2
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341:Kay's Originals vol.1 p.2
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121:was destroyed during the
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640:Scottish caricaturists
630:19th-century engravers
625:18th-century engravers
620:People from Midlothian
233:Henry Home, Lord Kames
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453:John Kay of Edinburgh
439:John Kay of Edinburgh
317:Bryant, Mark (1994).
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168:Claud Irvine Boswell
123:Great Edinburgh Fire
485:Deutsche Biographie
396:"Kay's Caricatures"
130:Greyfriars Kirkyard
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604:Categories
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304:References
288:Adam Smith
173:John Brown
163:Hugh Blair
153:Hugo Arnot
119:Royal Mile
39:Adam Smith
243:John Hope
92:Edinburgh
77:Canongate
481:John Kay
476:Volume 2
96:Dirleton
73:Scotland
69:Dalkeith
57:John Kay
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139:Family
85:barber
41:by Kay
29:of Kay
81:Leith
25:1786
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443:ISBN
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63:Life
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