Contempories

picture of Turner

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851

Landscape painter extradordinaire, seascapes in particular, born in London. Curiously he not only lived in Covent Garden as did Pugin but also in Thanet, where he went to school and later lived with his love Mrs. Sophia Booth. he loved to paint the changing skys over the sea on the east coast and when asked why he said 'the finest skies to be seen are in Thanet. His father was a barber, there is a special Turner Gallery at The Tate.
wood carving of E. Fry

Elizabeth Fry 4.5.1782-12.9.1847

Born in Norwich into a Quaker family, her mother died when she was twelve and she had to look after eleven siblings. She married in 1800 and had eight children. She campaigned for reform in the prison system, and in 1833 the Prison Act was passed. Like Pugin she lived for some time in Ramsgate. She used to board the slave ships that docked in the harbour and investigate the conditions, distributing libations and also sewing kits for the women. In 1833 she spent time working in Newgate prison helping the women with education and arranging segregation for them. She gave evidence to the House of Commons on conditions in prisons. She also met Queen Victoria.

Honore de Balzac 1799-1850

He wrote a hundred novels in his lifetime all of them followed one theme, the human comedy, amoung them Old Goriot, Lost Illusions, The Wild Ass's Skin and Ursule Mirouet. He was larger than life as was his life. Born in Tours, sent to a wet nurse and stayed there with his beloved sister Laure for his early infancy at the age of eight he went to boarding school. He went on to The University of Paris, whenever he recieved any money from his writings he spent it rashly, and then worked even harder. His wife finally married him five months before he died in Paris.
picture of Tennyson

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson 6.8.1809-6.10.1892

Most distinguished British poet, who wrote amoungst others, In Memorium, The Lady of Shalott, Maud, Idylls of the King. He was born on August 6th at Somersby Rectory, in Lincolnshire. He was appointed Poet Laureate on November 19th 1851 and held the title until his death. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
picture of Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens 1812-1870

Novelist, Social Critic, Reporter born on February 7th near Portsmouth, son of John and Elizabeth. They moved to London and then to Chatham. His extradordinary powers of observation were to be his greatest asset in his production of his novels. Like Pugin he enjoyed the coast and spent much time writing in Broadstairs, a mile or so from Pugin's home. He died on June 9th and is buried in Westminster Abbey.

Augusta Ada King Countess Lovelace 10.12.1815-27.11.1852

Born three years after Pugin in Piccadilly and died in Marylebone the same year as him, she was the daughter of Lord Byron and Annabella Milbanke a short marriage, Annabella left Byron when their daughter was one month old. She was educated by private tutors, Ada met Charles Babbage when she was 17. In 1835 he built the device that all modern computers are based on; the difference engine. Ada was very impressed by him and printed under her own initials her view of his work in Scientific Memoirs, based on a translation from French to English of a treatise of Babbage's work. Ada was regarded as a mathematical genius and became known as the 'bride of science'. She was an adventurer who enjoyed gambling. Ada and Babbage created a method of beating the horses using the calculator he built in 1823. She became addicted to Laudanum having been prescribed it for asthma and died from cancer aged 36 she is buried beside her father. She was married to the Earl of Lovelace who lived at Horsley Towers in Surrey, the original house was designed by Charles Barry in 1834. There are a lot of later, wonderfully excentric additions made in 1847/48 and 1855/60.
picture of a young Florence

Florence Nightingale 1820-1910

Devoted nurse to wounded soldiers in the Crimean War. Whose unstinting efforts saved thousands of men. By her work she encouraged other women to become emancipated. She was the daughter of Fanny and William and had an elder sister called Parthenope which was the Greek name for where she was born, Naples. Florence on the other hand was born in Florence,Italy. She is buried in St. Margaret's, East Wellow, Hampshire, UK.
drawing for Punch of Collins

Wilkie Collins 1824-1890

Author of The Moonstone, The Woman in White, he was a great friend of Dickens, they toured Britain and the US together. He worked hard and played hard, living with Caroline Graves and having three illegitimate children by another woman, Martha Rudd. He became addicted to opium and was very ill. His observations of women were very good, and his powers of excitment and intrique in his books make them as an exciting read today, as they were then. He is buried at Kensal Green, London.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1828-1882

This poet and painter appeared to lead a bohemian lifestyle, with aquaintances such as Ford Maddox Brown, Holman Hunt and Millais. He married Elizabeth Siddal in 1860 she posed for them, she died two years later of narcotics poisoning and Rosetti became a recluse. He joined Morris and Burne-Jones in the decoration of the Oxford Union. Some of his paintings are in the Tate, V & A, New York and Boston. He had connections with East Kent as did Pugin. He is buried in Highgate Cemetery.
picture of Burne-Jones

Sir Edward Burne-Jones 1833-1898

Burne-Jones was born in Birmingham and studied there as an artist, he met William Morris at Oxford. He produced many designs for William Morris's firm for tapestries and stained glass. Travelling to Italy he was influenced by what he saw there. He was awarded the Legion d'Honneur in 1889 and in 1894 he was made a baronet.

It is widely thought that his designs for stained glass, tapestries and book illustrations, are his best works. In the church of St. Margaret's, Rottingdean in Sussex there are seven stained glass windows by Burne-Jones and Morris. There are also windows in St. Phillip's Cathedral, Birmingham. He was married but also had a life long lady friend, called Maria who modeled for him. His ashes are buried in the church yard, in Rottingdean.

Dr. Christopher Dresser 1834-1904

Dresser began his career as a botonist and then became a freelance designer, like Pugin he produced designs for many materials, including pottery, glass, metal, wood, fabric and wallpapers. He used his botanical knowledge to reproduce plant forms in his designs. Of all the artists within the Arts and Crafts movement Dresser was the only one to be found to understand both the principles of the movement and the needs of the mass market, ie machine production.
picture of Morris

William Morris 1834-1896

Artist, craftsman and designer. He founded the company of Morris & Co. to produce tapestries, wallpapers, furniture and stained glass windows he studied architecture at Oxford where he met Burne-Jones.

There are examples of his work in the Tate and the V & A.

picture of Hardy

Thomas Hardy 1840-1928

Prolific author, he studied architecture, spoke Latin & Greek, played the fiddle, was married twice. He wrote, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, Far from the Madding Crowd, and The Hand of Ethelberta, amoungst others. He also wrote poetry, In a Wood, The Self Unseeing.

His body minus his heart is buried in Westminster Abbey.

part of a window in St. Phillips Cathedral Birmingham The photograph on the left is the ascension window part of a set of stained glass windows in St. Phillip's Cathedral, Birmingham, by Burne-Jones. The cathedral was built in the 18th century, so the pre-raphaelite windows are quite a contrast. Plaque is on a Regency house in Red Lion Square, Bloomsbury.
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This original work was created for the World Wide Web by Victoria Farrow, with the support of the Pugin Society. It was constructed by Mike Farrow of Channel Business Internet Systems.