author
W. Cosmo (William Cosmo) Monkhouse
1840–1901
A Victorian poet and art critic who balanced a long career at the British Board of Trade with a lively life in letters. He wrote poetry, a novel, and influential books on painters including Turner, making him a thoughtful guide to both art and feeling.
1 Audiobook
Turner
by W. Cosmo (William Cosmo) Monkhouse
About the author
Born in London on March 18, 1840, William Cosmo Monkhouse was educated at St Paul's School and entered the Board of Trade while still young. He built a substantial civil-service career there, eventually becoming assistant secretary in the finance department, while also pursuing literature and criticism.
He is best remembered as a poet and art critic. Monkhouse published volumes of verse, wrote fiction, and contributed criticism to periodicals such as The Academy, The Magazine of Art, and The Saturday Review. He also wrote books on major artists, including J. M. W. Turner, and was known for making art writing clear and approachable.
That combination of public service and literary work gives his writing a distinctive character: observant, cultivated, and practical at once. He died on July 20, 1901, but his work still offers a window into Victorian poetry and the way 19th-century readers looked at art.