William James Linton
William James Linton was an English poet, political activist, and skilled wood engraver, born on December 7, 1812, in London. Raised in a financially stable environment, he was influenced by his father's radical political beliefs and the poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley. Linton began his career as an engraver and later ventured into journalism, founding the political magazine *The National* and editing *Illuminated Magazine*. His literary contributions included a mix of poetry and political writings, reflecting his strong republican ideals.
After experiencing personal tragedies, including the deaths of his first wife and a son, Linton's focus shifted towards themes of love in his poetry, culminating in works like *Claribel, and Other Poems*. In 1866, facing financial difficulties, he emigrated to America, settling in Connecticut, where he continued his work in engraving and writing. Linton's most notable publication, *The Masters of Wood-Engraving*, earned him an honorary degree from Yale University. He passed away in 1897, leaving behind a legacy that highlights the Victorian aesthetic ideal through his artistic and literary endeavors.
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Subject Terms
William James Linton
Woodworker
- Born: December 7, 1812
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: December 29, 1897
- Place of death: New Haven, Connecticut
Biography
William James Linton was born on December 7, 1812, in London, England. His parents were financially comfortable. Linton’s father, William, was a great influence on young Linton, particularly in the area of radical politics. Linton was educated at Chigwall School in Stratford, beginning in 1818. In 1828, Linton began an apprenticeship as a wood engraver. He proved talented in this field and found employment in the field from 1834 through 1843.
Linton, like his father, held radical political beliefs. Likewise, as a poet, he was most influenced by the radical Percy Bysshe Shelley. In 1837 he married Laura Wade, the sister of a close friend. Her death within six months of their marriage deeply affected him. He later lived with her sister in a common- law marriage.
In 1839, Linton founded the political magazine The National and also served as the editor of the Illuminated Magazine in 1844 and 1845. In these pages he also included works by well-known writers such as Alfred Lord Tennyson and lesser-known writers such as Charles Jeremiah Wells. Most of Linton’s writings during this time were political in nature. In 1848, he visited the Italian republican, Giuseppe Mazzini, in Paris, and in 1849 he founded the Leader, a weekly republican magazine. In 1852, he published his first collection of poetry, The Plaint of Freedom.
After his common-law wife’s death of consumption in 1855, Linton married the novelist Eliza Lynn Linton in 1858. The two did not get along well, and ceased to live together by 1860. Linton’s next publishing ventures were also short-lived, and his engravings were not commercially successful. In the early 1860’s, he lost one of his sons. In addition, he had two children who were mentally and physically disabled, and a brother whom he supported.
In 1865, Linton published Claribel, and Other Poems. In this volume, he turned his interest slightly away from radical politics and toward the ennobling power of love. The publication cost him dearly, however, and he was in such financial straits by 1866 that he decided to leave England for America. He settled in Hamden, Connecticut, where he produced work such as Wind Falls in 1882 and Golden Apples of Hesperus in the same year. He also continued to work prodigiously as an engraver during this period as well as writing children’s stories and translations from French and Latin.
Perhaps Linton’s best-known work is his The Masters of Wood-Engraving with illustrations. It was published in 1889, and in 1891, Yale University gave him an honorary M.A. in respect for this volume. Linton later collected his life work into some twenty volumes that are housed in the British Museum. Linton died in Connecticut in 1897.
Linton was considered by his contemporaries to be an important poet and translator as well as one of the best wood engravers of his time. For this reason alone, Linton is of interest to contemporary scholars; his life and work provide insight into the Victorian aesthetic ideal.