Cornelius Varley,

FRSA The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

(21 November 1781 – 2 October 1873) was a British water-colour painter and optical instrument-maker. He invented the graphic telescope and the graphic microscope.

Biography

Varley was born at Hackney, then a village north of London, on 21 November 1781. He was a younger brother of John Varley, a watercolour painter and astrologer, and a close friend of

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...

. He was educated by his uncle, a

scientific instrument A scientific instrument is a device or tool used for scientific purposes, including the study of both natural phenomena and theoretical research. History Historically, the definition of a scientific instrument has varied, based on usage, laws, an ...

maker, and under him acquired a knowledge of the

natural science Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

s. Around 1800, he joined his brother in a tour through

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, and began the study of art. He was soon engaged in teaching drawing. From 1803 to 1859 he was an occasional exhibitor at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

and he also contributed regularly to the displays of the Water-Colour Society, of which, in 1803, he was one of the founders, and of which he continued a member until 1821. He died in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

on 2 October 1873.

Works

Varley's artistic works consist mainly of carefully finished classical subjects, with architecture and figures. He published a series of etchings of boats and other craft on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

. He was the first person to make a telephoto image. His life as an artist was deeply connected to his scientific and technical pursuits. His optical inventions were improvements to the camera lucida and

camera obscura A camera obscura (; ) is the natural phenomenon in which the rays of light passing through a aperture, small hole into a dark space form an image where they strike a surface, resulting in an inverted (upside down) and reversed (left to right) ...

long used by artists, and allowed him to draw both landscapes and microscopic studies in lucid detail. He also patented and sold his inventions. The

Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

awarded him silver medals in 1831 and 1833, and the Isis gold medal in 1841, for improvements to microscopes. His innovations included lever-controlled stages and an illumination-modifier. Varley invented the graphic telescope in 1809, and patented it in 1811. Unable to find a manufacturer who would make it, he went into manufacturing himself; this was his main occupation from 1814 onwards. He exhibited the graphic telescope at the

Great Exhibition The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition that took ...

, winning a medal, in 1851. His firm also manufactured telegraphic equipment and testing apparatus. He published ''Treatise on Optical Drawing Instruments'' in 1845. File:HenhamHall Suffolk ByCorneliusVarley 1801.png, Henham Hall,

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, England, 1801 File:Craig Goch, Moel Hebog, North Wales MET DP108217.jpg, Craig Goch,

Moel Hebog is a mountain in Snowdonia, north Wales, rising to 783 metres (2,569 feet) above sea level and dominating the western view from the village of Beddgelert. The name means "hill of the hawk" in Welsh. It is the principal summit of a range ...

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

, circa 1802 File:Cornelius Varley - Boats on a River, Windmill in Distance - 1990.56 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, Boats on a River, Windmill in Distance. 1809

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

File:Cornelius Varley - Two Beached Fishing Boats - 1992.347 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, Two Beached Fishing Boats, 1809

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other type ...

File:Houses next to Owen Gledwr's Parliament House.png, Dolgelly,

Merionethshire Merionethshire, or Merioneth ( or '), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was located in the North West Wales, north-west of Wales. Name 'Merioneth' is a ...

. 1815 File:Caernarvonshire - Conway.jpeg, Caernarvonshire,

Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townshi ...

. 1815 File:Design for a general chemical laboratory, with the apparatus Wellcome V0025597.jpg, Design for a general chemical laboratory, with the apparatus. 1822 File:Cornelius Varley - Landscape with Figure in Foreground - 2004.40 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, Landscape with Figure in Foreground, circa 1840. Illustration for Samuel Roger's poem "The Pleasures of Memory" File:Portrait of a Man in Profile MET DP821058.jpg, Portrait of a Man in Profile File:Irish Cars (Study of Two Carts in a Landscape) MET DP805112.jpg, ''Irish Cars'', date unknown Nitella translucens Chara vulgaris 1833 varley.jpg, '' Nitella translucens'' & '' Chara vulgaris'',

micrograph A micrograph is an image, captured photographically or digitally, taken through a microscope or similar device to show a magnify, magnified image of an object. This is opposed to a macrograph or photomacrograph, an image which is also taken ...

, 1833.

Chloroplast A chloroplast () is a type of membrane-bound organelle, organelle known as a plastid that conducts photosynthesis mostly in plant cell, plant and algae, algal cells. Chloroplasts have a high concentration of chlorophyll pigments which captur ...

movement shown. File:Chara vulgaris with three globules or male blossoms 1842 varley.jpg, '' Chara vulgaris'' with three globules or male blossoms, 1842 File:Chara vulgaris with one flower or globule open 1844 varley.jpg, ''Chara vulgaris'' with one flower or globule open, 1844 File:Nitella translucens 1844 varley.jpg, '' Nitella translucens'', 1844.

Cytoplasmic streaming Cytoplasmic streaming, also called protoplasmic streaming and cyclosis, is the flow of the cytoplasm inside the cell, driven by forces from the cytoskeleton. It is likely that its function is, at least in part, to speed up the transport of mole ...

is shown. File:Clocks; a striking mechanism. Engraving by S. Porter after C Wellcome V0023850ER.jpg, Clocks; a striking mechanism File:Midwifery and other instruments, including forceps and plier Wellcome V0016413ER.jpg, Surgical instruments

Legacy

A replica of Varley's graphic telescope was built for the ''Through the Looking Lens'' exhibition held at the American Philosophical Society Museum in 2013. (account of the making of the replica) He was one of the co-founders and contributors of the Royal Microscopical Society. His nephew Andrew Pritchard trained with him and became well-known as a micrographer.

Family

In 1821, Varley married Elizabeth Livermore Straker. They had ten children including

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

engineer Cromwell Fleetwood "C.F." Varley.

Notes

External links

* * (paywalled) * * **and his company,

References

* Attribution: * {{DEFAULTSORT:Varley, Cornelius 1781 births 1873 deaths People from Hackney Central English inventors English watercolourists Place of death missing English microbiologists Fellows of the Royal Society of Arts