Alexander Gilchrist
Encyclopedia
Alexander Gilchrist was the biographer of William Blake
. Gilchrist's biography is still a standard reference work on the poet.
He was born at Newington Green
, then just to the north of London
, son of the minister of the Unitarian church there
. Although called to the Bar
, Gilchrist took up literary and art criticism
as his main pursuits. He settled at Guildford
in 1853, where he wrote Life of William Etty
, R.A.
. In 1856 he became a next-door neighbour of his supporter Thomas Carlyle
at Chelsea
and his wife Jane Welsh Carlyle
, both of them notable writers. Gilchrist had all but finished his Life of William Blake
when he contracted scarlet fever from one of his children and died.
His wife Anne was his intellectual peer. She helped to complete her husband's magnum opus
, and survived him by 24 years. Dante Gabriel Rossetti
and his brother William
also contributed to the completion of the book.
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
. Gilchrist's biography is still a standard reference work on the poet.
He was born at Newington Green
Newington Green
Newington Green is an open space in north London which straddles the border between Islington and Hackney. It gives its name to the surrounding area, roughly bounded by Ball's Pond Road to the south, Petherton Road to the west, the southern section of Stoke Newington with Green Lanes-Matthias Road...
, then just to the north of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, son of the minister of the Unitarian church there
Newington Green Unitarian Church
Newington Green Unitarian Church in north London is one of England's oldest Unitarian churches. It has had strong ties to political radicalism for over 300 years, and is London's oldest Nonconformist place of worship still in use...
. Although called to the Bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
, Gilchrist took up literary and art criticism
Art criticism
Art criticism is the discussion or evaluation of visual art.Art critics usually criticize art in the context of aesthetics or the theory of beauty...
as his main pursuits. He settled at Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
in 1853, where he wrote Life of William Etty
William Etty
William Etty was an English painter, best known for his paintings of nudes.-Beginnings:In accordance with the wishes of his father, Etty served seven years of apprenticeship to a printer in Hull...
, R.A.
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
. In 1856 he became a next-door neighbour of his supporter Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher during the Victorian era.He called economics "the dismal science", wrote articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and became a controversial social commentator.Coming from a strict Calvinist family, Carlyle was...
at Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
and his wife Jane Welsh Carlyle
Jane Welsh Carlyle
Jane Welsh Carlyle was the wife of essayist Thomas Carlyle and has been cited as the reason for his fame and fortune. She was most notable as a letter-writer. In 1973, G.B...
, both of them notable writers. Gilchrist had all but finished his Life of William Blake
Life of William Blake
The Life of William Blake, “Pictor Ignotus.” With selections from his poems and other writings is a two volume work on the English painter and poet William Blake, first published in 1863...
when he contracted scarlet fever from one of his children and died.
His wife Anne was his intellectual peer. She helped to complete her husband's magnum opus
Magnum opus
Magnum opus , from the Latin meaning "great work", refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a writer, artist, or composer.-Related terms:Sometimes the term magnum opus is used to refer to simply "a great work" rather than "the...
, and survived him by 24 years. Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Dante Gabriel Rossetti was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848 with William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais, and was later to be the main inspiration for a second generation of artists and writers influenced by the movement,...
and his brother William
William Michael Rossetti
William Michael Rossetti was an English writer and critic.-Biography:Born in London, he was a son of immigrant Italian scholar Gabriele Rossetti, and the brother of Maria Francesca Rossetti, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Christina Georgina Rossetti.He was one of the seven founder members of the...
also contributed to the completion of the book.
Further reading
- The Life of William Blake by Alexander Gilchrist, edited by Ruthven Todd. London [England] : Dent, 1942. xi, 420 p. : ill. ; 18 cm. Everyman's library. Biography ; Based on 2nd ed. of 1880. Includes bibliography and index. (1880 edition reissued by Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, 2009. ISBN 978-1-108-01369-7) - The Life of William Blake, edited and with an introduction by W. Graham Robinson. ISBN 0-486-40005-0 (Dover).