![Henry Cole, Lock & Whitfield woodburytype, 1876-84](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Henry_Cole%2C_Lock_%26_Whitfield_woodburytype%2C_1876-84.jpg)
Sir Henry Cole
FRSA
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...
(15 July 1808 – 18 April 1882) was a British civil servant and inventor who facilitated many innovations in commerce and education in the 19th century in the United Kingdom. Cole is credited with devising the concept of sending greetings cards at Christmas time, introducing the world's first commercial
Christmas card
A Christmas card is a greeting card sent as part of the traditional celebration of Christmas in order to convey between people a range of sentiments related to Christmastide and the holiday season. Christmas cards are usually exchanged during ...
in 1843.
Biography
![Firstchristmascard](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Firstchristmascard.jpg)
Henry Cole was born in
Bath the son of Captain Henry Robert Cole, then of the
1st Dragoon Guards, and his wife Lætitia Dormer. He was sent in 1817 to
Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. The school was founded in 1552 and received its first royal charter in 1553. ...
, and upon leaving school in 1823 became clerk to
Francis Palgrave
Sir Francis Palgrave, (; born Francis Ephraim Cohen, July 1788 – 6 July 1861) was an English archivist and historian. He was Deputy Keeper (chief executive) of the Public Record Office from its foundation in 1838 until his death; and he is ...
, and then a sub-commissioner under the
Record Commission
The Record Commissions were a series of six Royal Commissions of Great Britain and (from 1801) the United Kingdom which sat between 1800 and 1837 to inquire into the custody and public accessibility of the state archives. The Commissioners' work ...
. Cole was employed in transcribing records, but found time to study water-colour painting under
David Cox, and exhibited sketches at the
Royal Academy. He lived with his father in a house belonging to the novelist
Thomas Love Peacock
Thomas Love Peacock (18 October 1785 – 23 January 1866) was an English novelist, poet, and official of the East India Company. He was a close friend of Percy Bysshe Shelley and they influenced each other's work. Peacock wrote satirical novels, ...
, who retained two rooms in it, and became a friend of young Cole. Cole drew for him, helped him in writing critiques of musical performances, and was introduced by him to
John Stuart Mill,
Charles Buller
Charles Buller (6 August 1806 – 29 November 1848) was a British barrister, politician and reformer.
Background and education
Born in Calcutta, British India, Buller was the son of Charles Buller (1774–1848), a member of a well-known Cor ...
, and
George Grote
George Grote (; 17 November 1794 – 18 June 1871) was an English political radical and classical historian. He is now best known for his major work, the voluminous ''History of Greece''.
Early life
George Grote was born at Clay Hill near B ...
. The friends used to meet at Grote's house in
Threadneedle Street
Threadneedle Street is a street in the City of London, England, between Bishopsgate at its northeast end and Bank junction in the southwest. It is one of nine streets that converge at Bank. It lies in the ward of Cornhill.
History
The stree ...
for discussions twice a week. A new Record Commission was issued in 1831, and in 1833 Cole was appointed a sub-commissioner. The secretary,
Charles Purton Cooper
Charles Purton Cooper Queen's Counsel, QC, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (1793–1873) was an English lawyer and antiquary.
Life
He was educated at Wadham College, Oxford, where he was a contemporary of Richard Bethell, 1st Baron Westbury, Ric ...
, quarrelled with the commission, and with Cole, who applied to Charles Buller for protection. A committee of the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
was appointed upon Buller's motion in 1836, which reported against the existing system, and the commission lapsed on the death of
William IV
William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...
on 20 June 1837. Cole wrote many articles in support of Buller. He was appointed by
Lord Langdale, who, as
Master of the Rolls
The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and Head of Civil Justice. As a judge, the Master of ...
, administered the affairs of the commission, to take charge of the records of the exchequer of pleas.
The record office was constituted in 1838 under the
Public Record Office Act 1838
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
, and Cole became one of the four senior assistant-keepers. He ranged a large mass of records in the Carlton House Riding School, where he was placed for the purpose 2 November 1841. His reports upon the unsuitability of this place contributed to bring about the erection of the building in
Fetter Lane
Fetter Lane is a street in the ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. It forms part of the A4 road and runs between Fleet Street at its southern end and Holborn.
History
The street was originally called Faytor or Faiter Lane, then Fe ...
(begun in 1851). Cole's duties at the record office did not absorb his whole energy. In 1838, with the leave of his superiors, he became secretary to a committee for promoting postal reform. He edited their organ, the ''Post Circular'', suggested by himself, of which the first number appeared 14 March 1838. He got up petitions and meetings with such energy that Cobden offered to him in 1839 the secretaryship of the Anti-Cornlaw League. Parliament granted power to carry out the new postal scheme in August 1839, and the treasury offered premiums for the best proposals as to stamps. Cole gained one of the premiums; he attended the treasury to discuss details, and was employed there till the beginning of 1842 in working out the scheme.
From 1837 to 1840, he worked as an assistant to
Rowland Hill
Sir Rowland Hill, KCB, FRS (3 December 1795 – 27 August 1879) was an English teacher, inventor and social reformer. He campaigned for a comprehensive reform of the postal system, based on the concept of Uniform Penny Post and his soluti ...
and played a key role in the introduction of the
Penny Post The Penny Post is any one of several postal systems in which normal letters could be sent for one penny. Five such schemes existed in the United Kingdom while the United States initiated at least three such simple fixed rate postal arrangements.
U ...
. He is sometimes credited with the design of the world's first postage stamp, the
Penny Black.
In 1843, Cole introduced the world's first commercial
Christmas card
A Christmas card is a greeting card sent as part of the traditional celebration of Christmas in order to convey between people a range of sentiments related to Christmastide and the holiday season. Christmas cards are usually exchanged during ...
, commissioning artist
John Callcott Horsley
John Callcott Horsley RA (29 January 1817 – 18 October 1903) was an English academic painter of genre and historical scenes, illustrator, and designer of the first Christmas card. He was a member of the artist's colony in Cranbrook.
Child ...
to make the artwork.
Felix Summerly pseudonym
Cole was personally interested in industrial design, and under the pseudonym Felix Summerly designed a number of items which went into production, including a prize-winning teapot manufactured by
Minton. As Felix Summerly, he also wrote a series of
children's book
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
s, including ''The home treasury'' (1843-1855); ''A hand-book for the architecture, sculpture, tombs, and decorations of Westminster Abbey'' (1859); ''Beauty and the beast: an entirely new edition'' (1843);
''An Alphabet of Quadrupeds''(1844); and ''The pleasant history of
Reynard the Fox
Reynard the Fox is a literary cycle of medieval allegorical Dutch, English, French and German fables. The first extant versions of the cycle date from the second half of the 12th century. The genre was popular throughout the Late Middle Ages, a ...
, told by the pictures by Albert van Everdingen'' (1843).
Cole and the exhibitions
Through his membership of the
, Cole lobbied government for support for his campaign to improve standards in industrial design. The backing of
Prince Albert was secured, and in 1847 a royal charter was granted to the
(RSA). Under the patronage of Prince Albert, Cole organised a successful Exhibition of Art Manufactures in 1847, with enlarged exhibitions following in 1848 and 1849.
Cole visited the 1849 11th Quinquennial Paris Exhibition and noticed the lack of an exhibition open to international participants. He saw that the RSA's planned exhibitions for 1850 and 1851 could be adapted into a larger international exhibition, and he secured the backing of
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
to establish in 1850 the
Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851
The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 is an institution founded in 1850 to administer the international exhibition of 1851, officially called the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations. The Great Exhibition was held ...
to manage the new exhibition, under the Presidency of Prince Albert.
The
Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations was held in
the Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibitors from around th ...
in
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is a Listed building#Heritage protection, Grade I-listed major park in Westminster, Greater London, the largest of the four Royal Parks of London, Royal Parks that form a chain from the entrance to Kensington Palace through Kensingt ...
, from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and was an enormous popular and financial success, partially due to the astute management of Henry Cole.
Museums
![Sir_Henry_Cole_tiled_mural_at_V%26A_2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Sir_Henry_Cole_tiled_mural_at_V%26A_2.jpg)
As one of the Commissioners, Cole was instrumental in the decision that the £186,000 surplus from the Great Exhibition would be used for improving science and art education in the United Kingdom. Land was purchased in the South Kensington area and developed as the centre for a number of educational and cultural institutions, known half-jokingly as "
Albertopolis
Albertopolis is the nickname given to the area centred on Exhibition Road in London, named after Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria. It contains many educational and cultural sites. It is in South Kensington, split between the Royal Boro ...
". Henry Cole was appointed the first General Superintendent of the Department of Practical Art, set up by the government to improve standards of art and design education in Britain with reference to their applicability to industry. In this capacity he was instrumental in the development 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 ...
which had begun as the Museum of Ornamental Art in
Marlborough House
Marlborough House, a Grade I listed mansion in St James's, City of Westminster, London, is the headquarters of the Commonwealth of Nations and the seat of the Commonwealth Secretariat. It was built in 1711 for Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marl ...
. Cole oversaw its move to its current site, and became first director of what was called
South Kensington Museum from 1857 to 1873. In 1974 a part of the museum that was once known as the Huxley Building was renamed the Henry Cole Building; today it forms the Henry Cole Wing of the V&A.
Honours and legacy
Cole was instrumental in the development of the National Art Training School (renamed the
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It o ...
in 1896) and played a part in the establishment of many other South Kensington institutions, such as the
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performanc ...
and
Imperial College London
Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
. In fact, the Imperial College Mathematics Department was formerly based in the Henry Cole Wing on
Exhibition Road
Exhibition Road is a street in South Kensington, London which is home to several major museums and academic establishments, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum.
Overview
The road gets i ...
, before the premises were donated to the
Victoria & 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 ...
.
Cole was awarded the
CB for his work on the Great Exhibition and was
knighted by
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
in 1875. Often referred to in the press as "Old King" Cole, he was known to have the closest personal backing of the Queen and especially of the
Prince Consort, who when he needed a facilitator for one of his pet projects, was heard to remark: "We must have steam, get Cole".
An English heritage
blue plaque commemorates where Cole lived and worked at 33
Thurloe Square
Thurloe Square is a traditional garden square in South Kensington, London, England.
There are private communal gardens in the centre of the square for use by the local residents. The Victoria and Albert Museum is close by to the north acros ...
,
South Kensington
South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...
, London, opposite the Victoria and Albert Museum.
In 2001, one of Cole's first Christmas cards, which was sent to his grandmother in 1843, sold at auction for
£22,500.
[Christmas card sold for record price](_blank)
BBC News. Retrieved 12 June 2011Facts And Figures – GCA: The Greeting Card Association
Retrieved 12 June 2011
References
;Attribution
Further reading
* Bonython, Elizabeth and Anthony Burton ''The Great Exhibitor: The Life and Work of Henry Cole'', London: V & A, 2003.
* Bonython, Elizabeth ''King Cole: A Picture Portrait of Sir Henry Cole'', London, 1985.
* Cole, Henry ''Fifty years of public work of Sir Henry Cole accounted for in his deeds, speeches and writings'', (in two volumes) London, Bell and Sons, 1884 (Completed by Henrietta and Alan S. Cole after Henry Cole's death).
Design Council Archive – University of Brighton Design Archives
(''Journal of Design and Manufactures'' is still not digitised, but is open to researchers)
*
External links
*
*
*
*
*
The Times, 20 April 1882, from the Victoria and Albert Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Henry
1808 births
1882 deaths
19th-century English people
Burials at Brompton Cemetery
People educated at Christ's Hospital
Companions of the Order of the Bath
Directors of the Victoria and Albert Museum
English civil servants
English curators
19th-century British inventors
Knights Bachelor
Museum founders
People associated with Imperial College London
People associated with the Royal College of Art
People associated with the Royal College of Music
People associated with The National Archives (United Kingdom)
People from Bath, Somerset
Postal pioneers
19th-century philanthropists
19th-century British businesspeople