Sir Henry Cole 1808 - 1882
Sir Henry Cole , KCB. "The real driving force behing the Great Exhbition of 1851 was Henry Cole, an assistant-keeper at the Public Records Office. Cole helped organize the Records Office after fire had burned down the old Parliament buildings. 'King Cole' with his little dog, Vanity Fair 1871 cartoon Cole had a wide range of interests including writing, editing and publishing books and journals. Under the pseudoname of Felix Summerly, Cole wrote books on art collections. He founded the Journal of Design to encourage artists to apply their talents to every day articles and to encourage manufacturers to mass produce them. Felix Summerlys' Home Treasury publications covered a broad range from Children's books to the first Christmas card ever published. In 1845 the Society of Arts' award for best design of tea service went to `Felix Summerly'. Henry Cole received royalties on thousands of sets made by Messrs Minton of Stoke. " The Worlds first Christmas card was designed by J C Horsley in 1843 from an idea supplied by Henry Cole. One thousand copies were lithographed and sold at Felix Summerly's Home Treasury Office in Old Bond Street, England for one shilling each. Between 1843 and 1847 he published the 'Home Treasury', a series of traditional nursery stories designed to appeal to the 'fancy, imagination, sympathies and affections' of a child's mind. Carefully printed by Charles Whittingham at the Chiswick Press, the most distinguished printing house of the nineteenth century, these elegant little volumes sold for two shillings and sixpence, or one shilling uncoloured. Dir. of the Royal Victoria & Albert Museum, etc. K.C.B. 1875. English art critic. Promoted industrial design through Society of Arts; founded (1847) Summerly' s Art Manufactures to engage artists in design work; proposed and helped plan and manage Great Exhibition (1851); virtual director (1853-73) of science and art department, Victoria and Albert Museum.
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| Born: Bath, Avon, England 15th Jul 1808 | Baptised:
| | Died: London, , , England 18th Apr 1882 | Buried:
| | Family: Cole |
Sources
- Family Archivists: see
Cole
Census
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