H. B. (Henry Beauchamp) Walters

Born in 1867, he was educated at Eton and King’s College, Cambridge, and went on to build a long career at the British Museum. He worked in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities from 1890 and later became Keeper of the department before retiring in 1932.

Walters wrote extensively on classical archaeology and art history, with notable books including The Art of the Greeks, History of Ancient Pottery, and catalogues of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan material in the British Museum. He also wrote on campanology, including books on church bells, showing an unusual range that stretched well beyond museum scholarship.

He died in 1944. Although remembered as a specialist in the ancient world, his books were often practical and approachable, which helps explain why they continued to circulate long after their first publication.