James Collinson facts for kids

The Holy Family by James Collinson, 1878

James Collinson (born May 9, 1825 – died January 24, 1881) was a talented artist from the Victorian era. He was known for his paintings. For a short time, he was part of a famous art group called the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, from 1848 to 1850.

About James Collinson's Life

James Collinson was born in Mansfield, a town in Nottinghamshire, England. His father was a bookseller. James went to the Royal Academy Schools to study art. There, he became friends with other future famous artists like Holman Hunt and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Collinson was a very religious person. He was drawn to the spiritual side of the Pre-Raphaelite art movement. He changed his faith to Catholicism for a while. Later, he returned to the Anglican Church because he wanted to marry the poet Christina Rossetti. However, his beliefs led him back to Catholicism, and their engagement ended.

When another artist's painting, Christ in the House of his Parents by Millais, caused some controversy, Collinson decided to leave the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He felt the group was not respecting Christian beliefs enough.

During his time with the Pre-Raphaelites, Collinson wrote a long religious poem for their magazine, The Germ. He also painted several religious artworks. One of his most important religious paintings was The Renunciation of St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1850).

After leaving the art group, Collinson considered becoming a priest. He studied at a Jesuit college, but he did not finish his studies to become a priest.

In 1858, James Collinson married Eliza Wheeler. She was the sister-in-law of another painter, John Rogers Herbert, who had influenced the Pre-Raphaelites. Collinson then went back to painting. He created many everyday scenes, which are called genre paintings. Some of his well-known works from this time include To Let and For Sale. These paintings playfully showed women in situations that hinted at choices they might face.

From 1861 to 1870, he served as the secretary for the Society of British Artists. Later in his life, he lived in Brittany, a region in France. There, he painted The Holy Family in 1878. James Collinson passed away in April 1881.

Gallery of Paintings

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  The Sisters (c. 1860)

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  The Empty Purse (1857)

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  Mother and Child by a Stile, with Culver Cliff, Isle of Wight, in the Distance (1849)

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  The Renunciation of St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1850)

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  Too Hot, print after Collinson, from Illustrated London News (February 28, 1863).

See also

• List of Pre-Raphaelite paintings - including the work of James Collinson.