DARLY, MATTHIAS or MATTHEW, 18th century English caricaturist, designer and engraver. This extremely versa tile artist produced social and political caricatures, designed architectural and mobiliary ac cessories, made many engrav ings for Thomas Chippendale, and sold his own productions at his print-shop in the Strand (and elsewhere) which was one of the first to stock prepared colours and materials for ar tists. His first known publica tion is a coloured caricature, "The Cricket Players of Europe" (1741). Darly was in partner ship with one Edwards, with whom he published many politi cal prints which were collected annually into volumes under the title of Political and Satiri cal History. He published in 1754 A New Book of Chinese Designs and engraved many of the plates for the Director of Thomas Chippendale. In 1770-71 appeared Darly's most im portant work—The Ornamental Architect or Y oung Artists' In structor, the title of which became in the 1773 edition A Com pleat Body of Architecture, embellished with a great Variety of Ornament. In 1767 he issued Sixty Vases by English, French and Italian Masters. His last caricature was published in October 178o, and as his shop, No. 39 Strand, was let to a new tenant in i781, it is presumed that he had by then died or become incapable of further work.
See George Paston, Socia1 Caricature in the z8th Century (19os).