The portrait accompanying these lines will be soon recognised by most Doggy People as that of my old friend who has for many years held a high position as an enamel painter, and has probably painted the portraits of more prize dogs and cats than any artist living, in his line. I think I may claim a small bit of credit for his taking on such an extensive repertoire, as, when I had induced him to paint some Dandies, Skyes, Pomeranians, Fox-terriers, and other varieties for me, and he had made such capital portraits of them, I introduced him to many of my friends amongst fanciers, and I think he has had no reason to complain of want of commissions.

Mr. Bailey, before he was out of his pupilage with the celebrated enamellist Essex, exhibited a portrait of Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal at the Royal Academy, and was a regular exhibitor for years afterwards. One year he had there portraits of Sir Richard Mayne, Chief Commissioner of Police, for London, and Lady Mayne, which so pleased a relative that she desired to purchase them. As, of course, no pictures can be removed until after" the Academy closes, Mr. Bailey painted replicas for her, with the option of changing them for the originals if she liked the others better; but when the time came, those painted last were preferred.

When Mr. Bailey first began painting animals, he almost entirely confined himself to Foxs' heads for scarf-pins, for which there was a constant demand by the jewellers, and afterwards some well-known Bulldogs' heads were treated in the same way, great numbers identically the same being produced; but of late years nothing has come amiss to him, and my readers will, many of them, have seen his life-like portraits of almost every known breed of dog, some of which, he tells me, he has had to paint more than a dozen times over for all kinds of purposes, such as the lids of snuff-boxes, brooches, bracelets, pins, sleeve-links, lockets, studs, etc., and no doubt they form very valuable souvenirs, in more senses than one, of departed four-footed friends. And he has been very successful with cats.

MR. JAMES WILLIAM BAILEY.

Mr. Bailey has a grown-up family, several of whom show artistic talents, and he has been, in his time, a crack shot, having won cups, in keen competition, in former days.

I hope we may long have the pleasure of seeing him at gatherings of the Fancy amongst Doggy People, where he is so much in request.