author
Felix Moscheles
1833–1917
A Victorian painter who also wrote and campaigned for peace, he brought art, politics, and idealism together in a remarkably active public life. His story links the studio with the peace movement and the early international language movement.
2 Audiobooks
In Bohemia with Du Maurier: The First of a Series of Reminiscences
by Felix Moscheles
Fragments of an Autobiography
by Felix Moscheles
About the author
Born in London on February 8, 1833, Felix Stone Moscheles grew up in a cultured family: he was the son of the celebrated pianist and composer Ignaz Moscheles. He studied art in Paris and Antwerp and went on to build a career as a painter, especially of portraits and genre scenes, exhibiting in major artistic venues in Britain and on the continent.
But painting was only part of his life. Moscheles also wrote books and became deeply involved in the international peace movement. He supported arbitration between nations rather than war, took part in peace congress circles, and was remembered as an energetic public advocate for international understanding.
He was also an early supporter of Esperanto, reflecting his wider belief that people and nations could communicate more openly across borders. Moscheles died in Tunbridge Wells on December 22, 1917, leaving behind a life that joined art with public conscience.