The Dalziel Brothers were born at Wooler, Northumberland, but spent most of their early days in Newcastle-on-Tyne. Their craft was learned from pupils of Thomas Bewick. In 1835 George Dalziel came to London, followed soon after by Edward, and later by John and Thomas. They were all draughtsmen as well as engravers. Thomas devoted himself entirely to drawing. There was also a sister, 'Margaret' (who died in 1894), who practised the art of wood-engraving for many years, with results distinguished for their minute elaboration and fine feeling. Soon after settling in London, George was associated with Ebenezer Landells (who died in 1869); and the brothers later became intimate with Bewick's favourite pupil, William Harvey, for whom they engraved many of his drawings for Lane's _Arabian Nights_, Charles Knight's _Shakespeare_ and _Bunyan_, and many other works. Still later they became acquainted with [Sir] John Gilbert, and were 'the first who endeavoured to render his drawings throughout according to his own style of lining and suggested manipulation.' Their effort was to translate the draughtsman's line, not to paraphrase it by tint-cutting. As a former apologist has written: 'This has been called "facsimile work"; but it is not so, strictly speaking. Certainly, whatever it may be called, it required as much artistic knowledge and taste to produce a good result as the so-called tint-work against which they [Dalziel Brothers] have no word to say, having practised that branch of art to a considerable extent, as may be seen in hundreds of instances, but perhaps most notably in the Rev. J. G. Wood's _Natural History_ and _The History of Man_.' The Dalziels had clever pupils to whom they attribute most readily no little of their success; of these Harry Fenn and C. Kingdon, who both went to America, may be specially mentioned. But a record of so notable an enterprise cannot be adequately treated here; yet a few authorised facts must needs find place. Did space permit, the eulogies of many artists who were entirely satisfied with Messrs. Dalziels' engraving could be quoted as a set-off to the few, Rossetti included, who were querulous. It would be invidious to pick out their best work, but Millais's _Parables_, Birket Foster's _Beauties of English Landscape_, and the illustrated editions of classics: _Don Quixote_, _Arabian Nights_, _Goldsmith's Works_, _The Bible Gallery_, etc. etc., which bear their imprint, may be numbered among their highest achievements.