Arthur E. (Hugh) Popham, (22 March 1889 – 8 December 1970) was a British art historian, mainly focused on Italian art. Most of his life he worked at the British Museum and became especially renowned for his catalogue work. He was Keeper of Prints and Drawings from 1945 to his retirement from the museum in 1954.

Personal life

He was born Arthur Ewart Hugh Popham in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, England on 22 March 1889, as the only son of Arthur Frederick Popham and Florence Amelia Radford. His mother was sister to the poet Ernest Radford and the writer

Ada Radford Wallas Ada Wallas or Ada (or "Audrey") Radford (10 December 1859 – 12 October 1934) was an English writer and teacher. Life Wallas was born in Plymouth in 1859. Her father was George David Radford who was a partner in a drapers in Mannamead. Her moth ...

. He was educated at Cambridge University, at

King's College King's College or The King's College refers to two higher education institutions in the United Kingdom: *King's College, Cambridge, a constituent of the University of Cambridge *King's College London, a constituent of the University of London It ca ...

. He duly graduated MA in 1908. He was associated with

Rupert Brooke Rupert Chawner Brooke (3 August 1887 – 23 April 1915)The date of Brooke's death and burial under the Julian calendar that applied in Greece at the time was 10 April. The Julian calendar was 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar. was an En ...

's circle of

Neo-pagans Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Afric ...

and the

Bloomsbury Group The Bloomsbury Group—or Bloomsbury Set—was a group of associated English writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists in the first half of the 20th century, including Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster and Lytton Strac ...

. He married Brynhild Olivier on 3 October 1912 and the couple had three children: Hugh Anthony, Anne Olivier (later: Mrs.

Quentin Bell Quentin Claudian Stephen Bell (19 August 1910 – 16 December 1996) was an English art historian and author. Early life Bell was born in London, the son of Clive Bell and Vanessa Bell (née Stephen), and the nephew of Virginia Woolf (née Ste ...

) and Tristram. They divorced in 1924, when this was still a matter of some social consequence and required a hearing in court. He married Rosalind Baynes (née Thornycroft) in 1926. He died in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

, London in 1970. At the time of death, his address was 4 Canonbury Place, London N1. At Probate on 16 February 1971, his estate was stated as £4,967.

Career

In 1912, Popham joined the Department of Prints and Drawings of the British Museum. In 1933, he was promoted to deputy keeper. From 1945 to 1954, he served as Keeper of Prints and Drawings (i.e. head of the department). On retirement, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB). At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Popham joined the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

. During his service, he was awarded the French

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

. He moved to the Royal Air Force upon its creation in 1918 with the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. During the war, he served in Europe, Egypt, and Palestine.

Selected works

* Arthur E. Popham: Catalogue of the Drawings of Parmigianino. 3 Vols. New Haven & London: Yale University Press 1971.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * 1889 births 1970 deaths Writers from Plymouth, Devon British art historians Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Royal Naval Air Service personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Companions of the Order of the Bath {{UK-art-historian-stub