Thomas Woolner
Thomas Woolner was an English sculptor and poet, born on December 17, 1825, in Hadleigh, Suffolk. He began his artistic training at a young age, apprenticing under sculptor Charles Behnes and later his brother William. Woolner became a significant figure in the art movement known as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, which he co-founded in 1848, being the only sculptor among its original members. His contributions to the movement included poetry, with his opening poem "My Beautiful Lady" featured in their magazine, *The Germ*.
Seeking greater opportunities, Woolner migrated to Australia in 1852 to prospect for gold, but after unsuccessful ventures, he returned to England. There, he gained recognition for his sculptural works, creating portrait medallions and busts of notable figures like Captain James Cook and Charles Darwin. Woolner also had a successful family life, marrying Alice Gertrude Waugh and fathering six children. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1875 and served as a professor of sculpture. Woolner's artistic legacy includes not only his sculptures but also his emotionally resonant poetry, reflecting his connections with prominent Victorian poets. He passed away in London on October 7, 1892.
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Subject Terms
Thomas Woolner
Fine Artist
- Born: December 17, 1825
- Birthplace: Hadleigh, Suffolk, England
- Died: October 7, 1892
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
Thomas Woolner was born in Hadleigh, Suffolk, England, on December 17, 1825, to Thomas Woolner, a post office sorter, and Rebecca Leeks, Woolner’s father’s first wife. The Woolner family moved to London after his father took employment with the post office. Woolner received some formal schooling in Hadleigh and London. At the age of twelve, he began his apprenticeship in the studio of the sculptor Charles Behnes; after Behnes’s death, Woolner joined Behnes’s brother William.
In 1842 Woolner was accepted into the Royal Academy, where he received some minor commissions, exhibiting for the first time in 1843. In 1847 he met Dante Gabriel Rossetti; Rossetti and Woolner then joined John Everett Miliais and William Holman Hunt joined the Cyclographic Society, a sketching club. In 1848 Woolner became one of the original founder-members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood; he was the only sculptor to be accepted as a member. In 1850, as a member of the Pre-Raphaelites, he contributed the opening poem “My Beautiful Lady” for The Germ, the group’s magazine.
In 1852, after Woolner became dissatisfied with his moderate success as a Pre-Raphaelite and after he was defeated in a competition to sculpt a national monument to William Wordsworth, he migrated to Australia to prospect gold. After failing to find any, he attempted to create a thriving sculpting business in Melbourne and Sydney, eventually failing again. Consequently, in 1854 he returned to England.
In England, he obtained a favorable reputation that led to some profitable commissions, primarily portrait medallions and busts; these commissions included historical figures, such as Captain James Cook and Francis Bacon, and contemporary intellectuals, such as Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and Charles Darwin. Throughout the next two decades, Woolner was able to maintain a wealthy lifestyle by producing many similar works.
In 1864, Woolner married Alice Gertrude Waugh; they had two sons and four daughters. The marriage made him William Homan Hunt’s brother-in-law when Hunt married Edith Waugh in 1875.
In 1875 he was elected to the Royal Academy. In 1877, he became a professor of sculpture but retired five years later with no lectures. During the 1880’s he composed several other poems titled Silenus and Tiresias, which are characteristically classified as emotionally charged as his earlier poems illustrate.
Woolner died in London on October 7, 1892.
Thomas Woolner’s primary artistic achievements are his sculptures, but his success at composing several popular poems illustrates a rare multidimensional talent. Moreover, his poetic success is not surprising since he had several friendships with many of the major Victorian poets, Robert Browning and Tennyson.