William Cosmo Monkhouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Cosmo Monkhouse
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Monkhouse by John McLure Hamilton
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| Born | 18 March 1840 London, England
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| Died | 20 July 1901 (aged 61) |
| Occupation | Poet and art critic |
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William Cosmo Monkhouse (born March 18, 1840 – died July 20, 1901) was a British writer. He was known for his poetry and for writing about art.
The Life of Cosmo Monkhouse
Cosmo Monkhouse was born and grew up in London, England. His father, Cyril John Monkhouse, was a solicitor (a type of lawyer). Cosmo went to St Paul's School.
At age seventeen, he left school to work for the Board of Trade. This was a government department that dealt with business and trade. He started as a junior clerk and worked his way up. Eventually, he became an assistant-secretary in the finance part of the office.
In 1870 and 1871, he traveled to South America. He visited places like Valparaíso, Chile. His trip was to check on hospitals for sailors.
Cosmo's Love for Writing
Cosmo Monkhouse had a regular job, but he also had a strong passion for writing. His first love was poetry. In 1865, he published a collection called A Dream of Idleness and Other Poems. These poems showed his admiration for famous poets like Wordsworth and Tennyson.
Later, in 1890, he released another collection called Corn and Poppies. This book included a well-known poem called "Dead March." Five years after that, a special book of his poem The Christ upon the Hill came out. It had beautiful pictures made by William Strang. After Cosmo passed away, his final poetry book, Pasiteles the Elder and other Poems, was published.
In 1868, Monkhouse wrote a novel called A Question of Honour. After that, he started focusing mostly on writing about art.
Becoming an Art Critic
Cosmo Monkhouse became a respected art critic. An art critic is someone who studies and writes about art. They share their opinions on paintings, sculptures, and other artworks.
He wrote a book about the artist Turner in 1879. He also wrote many articles for magazines like the Academy, Saturday Review, and Magazine of Art.
He published several books about art, including:
- The Italian Pre-Raphaelites (1887)
- The Earlier English Water-Colour Painters (1890 and 1897)
- In the National Gallery (1895)
- British Contemporary Artists (1899)
Monkhouse also wrote a book about Alice's Adventures in Wonderland illustrator, Sir John Tenniel. He also contributed to the Dictionary of National Biography. This is a huge collection of biographies of important British people. He also wrote a book about the writer Leigh Hunt. His book A history and description of Chinese Porcelain, (London; Chapman, 1901) was about Chinese ceramics (pottery).
People highly valued Monkhouse's opinions as an art critic. He was known for being honest and skilled. As a poet, he was very dedicated to his art.
Cosmo Monkhouse died in Skegness on July 20, 1901.
Family Life
Cosmo Monkhouse was married two times. His first marriage was in 1865 to Laura Keymer. His second marriage was in 1873 to Leonora Eliza Blount. With Leonora, he had two sons and six daughters.
