Macbeth, William
(09 August 1851–10 August 1917)
- Malcolm Goldstein
Extract
Macbeth, William (09 August 1851–10 August 1917), art dealer, was born in Madden, (Northern) Ireland, the son of Robert Macbeth, a schoolteacher, and Marry Haffey. For a brief while after his father’s death in 1868, Macbeth took over his classes. In 1871 he was given a clerical position in the clearing house of the banks of the city of Dublin. He left the clearing house in 1873 to come to New York City, where his brother James was established as a successful businessman. Within a month of his arrival, he found a job at $5.00 a week in the gallery of Frederick Keppel, a dealer in fine prints, at 66 Beekman Street. This was his introduction to the art trade. “Think I will like it here,” he noted in his diary on 3 November....
