Charles Whibley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Whibley
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Charles Whibley, English writer and journalist
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| Born | 9 December 1859 Sittingbourne, Kent, England
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| Died | 4 March 1930 (aged 70) Hyères, France
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| Occupation | Writer and journalist |
| Spouse(s) | Ethel Birnie Philip (1896–1920) Philippa Raleigh (1927–1930) |
| Parent(s) | Ambrose Whibley and Mary Jean Davy |
Charles Whibley (born December 9, 1859 – died March 4, 1930) was an English writer and journalist. He had modern ideas about books and art. He was a big supporter of the artist James McNeill Whistler. They were even related by marriage, as their wives were sisters!
Whibley also helped a famous writer named T. S. Eliot get a job as an editor at a publishing company called Faber and Gwyer. T. S. Eliot even wrote an essay about Whibley in 1931. People said Whibley's writing style was often sharp and very conservative.
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Charles Whibley's Early Life
Charles Whibley was born on December 9, 1859, in Sittingbourne, Kent, England. His parents were Ambrose Whibley and Mary Jean Davy. He went to Bristol Grammar School. Later, he studied at Jesus College, Cambridge University. He earned top grades in classics in 1883.
Charles had a brother named Leonard Whibley. Leonard was a professor at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He taught ancient history. Charles also had a half-brother, Fred, who was a trader. His half-sister, Eliza, married John T. Arundel. Arundel's company later became involved in mining phosphate on islands like Nauru.
After college, Whibley worked for three years at Cassell & Co. This was a publishing company. He shared a house with his brother Leonard and other writers.
Life in Paris
In 1894, Whibley became a newspaper writer in Paris, France. He wrote for the Pall Mall Gazette. This newspaper had conservative political views. This matched Whibley's own beliefs.
While in Paris, Whibley spent time with a group of artists and writers. These included Stéphane Mallarmé and Paul Valéry. They were part of a movement called Symbolism. He was even a witness at the wedding of Marcel Schwob in 1900.
Marriage to Ethel Birnie Philip
In 1896, Charles Whibley married Ethel Birnie Philip. Their wedding took place in the garden of artist James McNeill Whistler's house in Paris. Photos of the wedding were taken by Louis Edmond Vallois.
Ethel's father was a sculptor named John Birnie Philip. Before she married Charles, Ethel worked as Whistler's secretary. Whistler painted many portraits of Ethel. These included a famous one called Mother of Pearl and Silver: The Andalusian. He also drew many sketches of her.
Whistler sometimes made fun of Whibley in his letters. He called him "Wobbles." Whistler once teased Whibley for saying he was "something of a boulevardier." This means someone who enjoys walking around city streets. In 1897, Whistler even designed the cover for Whibley's book, A Book of Scoundrels.
Later Career as a Writer
Ethel, Charles Whibley's first wife, passed away in 1920. In 1927, Charles married Philippa Raleigh. Philippa was the daughter of Walter Raleigh. Walter was a professor of English Literature at Oxford University.
Whibley wrote for many magazines in London and Edinburgh. These included The Pall Mall Magazine and Blackwood's Magazine. At Blackwood's Magazine, he was a well-known conservative writer. He was also an important person in the world of literature.
He often criticized the public education system. It was a secret that Whibley wrote a column called Musings without Methods. He wrote it anonymously for over 25 years. T. S. Eliot said it was "the best sustained piece of literary journalism." Whibley was also friends with William Ernest Henley. He wrote for Henley's newspapers, the Scots Observer and the National Observer.
Charles Whibley died on March 4, 1930, in Hyères, France. He was buried in Great Brickhill, England.
A portrait of Charles Whibley from 1925–26 is at Jesus College, Cambridge. A sketch of him is kept at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Charles Whibley's Books
- A Collection of Letters of W. M. Thackeray 1847~1855 (1887)
- Cathedrals of England and Wales and Their History (1888)
- In Cap and Gown: Three Centuries Of Cambridge Wit (1889) (editor)
- A Book of English Prose, Character and Incident 1387~1649 (1894) (with W. E. Henley)
- A Book of Scoundrels (1897)
- Studies in Frankness (1898)
- The Pageantry of Life (1900)
- Musings Without Method: A Record of 1900~1901 (1902)
- William Makepeace Thackeray (1903)
- Literary Portraits (1904)
- American Sketches (1908)
- The Letters of an Englishman (1911) (published anonymously)
- The Letters of an Englishman, Second Series (1912) (published anonymously)
- Essays in Biography (1913)
- Jonathan Swift (1917)
- Political Portraits (1917)
- Literary Studies (1919)
- Political Portraits, Second Series (1923)
- Collected Essays of W. P. Ker (1925) (editor)
- Lord John Manners and His Friends (1925) Volumes I & II
- Apuleius: The Golden Ass (1927)
- The Satyricon of Petronius Arbiter (1927) (with W. C. Firebaugh)
You can find online versions of American Sketches and A Book of Scoundrels on Project Gutenberg.
