Esmé Whittaker is a British art historian and curator. Whittaker attended the University of Bristol, obtaining a bachelor's degree in Art History. She received a master's degree, and then a doctorate from the

Courtauld Institute of Art The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. It is among the most prestigious specialist coll ...

for her dissertation ''The Arts and Crafts house in the Lake District: buildings, landscapes and communities'', under the supervision of Professor Caroline Arscott. This work elucidated the influence of

William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication '' Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ' ...

and

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and pol ...

on the Arts and Crafts houses in the Lake District, and has been lauded. Her book (co-written with Matthew Hyde) ''Arts and Crafts Houses in the Lake District'' won the 2015 Bookends Prizes for Arts and Literature. Whittaker worked at the Word & Image Department of the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

. She also assisted in exhibitions, including ''The Cult of Beauty - The Aesthetic Movement 1860-1900'' (2011). In 2011, Whittaker curated an exhibition on

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

Two Temple Place Two Temple Place, known for many years as Astor House, is a building situated near Victoria Embankment in central London, England.Moore, Rowan (15 October 2011)"Two Temple Place; University of the Arts London – review Viscount Astor's stately ...

. In 2017, she appeared in the BBC Four documentary ''In Search of Arcadia''. Whittaker worked asa curator for the English Heritage's

Chiswick House Chiswick House is a Neo-Palladian style villa in the Chiswick district of London, England. A "glorious" example of Neo-Palladian architecture in west London, the house was designed and built by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington (1694– ...

and

Marble Hill House Marble Hill House is a Neo-Palladian villa, now Grade I listed, in Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It was built between 1724 and 1729 as the home of Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk, who lived there until her ...

Selected works

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whittaker, Esme Living people Alumni of the Courtauld Institute of Art Year of birth missing (living people)