LATE MR CHARLES A. DOYLE

I enjoyed this obituary of Charles Doyle for the sketch of Charles, apparently made from a photograph owned by Mr Hippolyte J. Blanc "who was a colleague of Mr. Doyle's in the Board of Works Office".

Edinburgh Evening Dispatch
Monday, 23 October 1893

LATE MR CHARLES A. DOYLE

We give a portrait to-day of the late Mr Charles A. Doyle, the father of Dr. A. Conan novelist. One of a well-known family, whose head was Joba Doyle, known as the author of the “H.B. Sketches,” which recorded interesting Parliamentary and State incidents in the early part of the reign of the present Queen. Mr Doyle, at a comparatively young age, was sent from London take up an appointment in H.M. Office of Works, Edinburgh. Inheriting the faculty of caricature sketching characteristic of the whole family, he gave up his leisure to illustrating many popular works published by leading firms in the city. To the Illustrated London News he was a frequent contributor, not a few most amusing full page figure subjects finding a place in their issues. Frequently works of his in oil found a place on the walls of the Royal Scottish Academy. Personally he was a most likable man, genial, entertaining, and amusing in conversation. His abilities and gentlemanly manner secured to him a cordial welcome wherever he went and few literary or artistic homes were without his occasional visit. Those who knew him will ever remember him with a warm and kindly thought. Of his brothers, Richard, the well-known caricaturist for Punch, whose design for the frontispiece of that paper is still retained, died a few years ago. His other brother, Sir Henry, is chief of the Science and Art Department, Dublin. Of his family, the eldest son is the able novelist - Dr A. Conan Doyle. To Mr Hippolyte J. Blanc, A.R.S.A. who was a colleague of Mr. Doyle's in the Board of Works Office, we are indebted for the photograph from which the above sketch was taken.

-----------

EDIT: There is a new ACD Society Facebook community page, and I posted a link to this blog post. Peggy MacFarlane recognized the pose in this sketch, and pointed out that the photograph in reverse was included in the introduction to Michael Baker's 1978 publication of Charles Doyle's diary.

Looking back at some other publications, the other place the photograph appears is Adrian Conan Doyle's Centenary (1859-1959) book. I didn't spot any piccture credits in the book, and assume the photograph was in Doyle's possession. So more digging is required!

It does seem reasonable to assume the original photograph is similar to the sketch (i.e. holding a book, etc.).