Alfred Heaton Cooper
Encyclopedia
Alfred Heaton Cooper is a highly acclaimed Victorian
artist. He has become one of the most venerated of the Victorian landscape artist's
, renowned for his Lakeland landscapes.
, England - one of six children to millworker parents - and brought up in nearby Bolton
, Lancashire
. After leaving school, he worked as a clerk but moved to London in 1884 to study art under George Clausen
. He finished his studies prematurely to embark on a period of travelling, first north to Yorkshire
, then abroad to Morocco
and finally settling in Norway
. Whilst in Norway, he became fascinated by the rural lifestyle of the Sogne region, where he eventually set up a studio beside the fjord at Balestrand
. There, he married Mathilde.
After realising that he could not make a living in the area, he returned in 1894 to Bolton, moving eventually to the Lake District
where he believed there was a market for his work amongst visiting tourists. He shipped his log cabin studio from Norway to Coniston
and later to Ambleside
. In 1903, Mathilde gave birth to William Heaton Cooper
, who would also go on to become a landscape artist.
Apart from his watercolours of the Lake District, and scenes of Norwegian fjords (especially Balestrand), Cooper also provided illustrations for many travel guidebooks published by A & C Black
.
He died in the Lake District in 1929. The family business he founded still exists today as an art gallery and shop in Grasmere, Cumbria.
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
artist. He has become one of the most venerated of the Victorian landscape artist's
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
, renowned for his Lakeland landscapes.
Life and work
Cooper was born in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England - one of six children to millworker parents - and brought up in nearby Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. After leaving school, he worked as a clerk but moved to London in 1884 to study art under George Clausen
George Clausen
Sir George Clausen RA , was an artist working in oil and watercolour, etching, mezzotint, dry point and occasionally lithographs. He was knighted in 1927.-Biography:...
. He finished his studies prematurely to embark on a period of travelling, first north to Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, then abroad to Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and finally settling in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Whilst in Norway, he became fascinated by the rural lifestyle of the Sogne region, where he eventually set up a studio beside the fjord at Balestrand
Balestrand
Balestrand is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Balestrand....
. There, he married Mathilde.
After realising that he could not make a living in the area, he returned in 1894 to Bolton, moving eventually to the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
where he believed there was a market for his work amongst visiting tourists. He shipped his log cabin studio from Norway to Coniston
Coniston, Cumbria
Coniston is a village and civil parish in the Furness region of Cumbria, England. It is located in the southern part of the Lake District National Park, between Coniston Water, the third longest lake in the Lake District, and Coniston Old Man; about north east of Barrow-in-Furness.-Geography and...
and later to Ambleside
Ambleside
Ambleside is a town in Cumbria, in North West England.Historically within the county of Westmorland, it is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest lake...
. In 1903, Mathilde gave birth to William Heaton Cooper
William Heaton Cooper
William Heaton Cooper was an English landscape artist who worked predominantly in watercolours. He was born in Coniston in the English Lake District on 6 October 1903 as the third child to Norwegian mother, Mathilde, and the landscape artist Alfred Heaton Cooper.His paintings are mostly of Lake...
, who would also go on to become a landscape artist.
Apart from his watercolours of the Lake District, and scenes of Norwegian fjords (especially Balestrand), Cooper also provided illustrations for many travel guidebooks published by A & C Black
A & C Black
A & C Black is a British book publishing company.The firm was founded in 1807 by Adam and Charles Black in Edinburgh, and moved to the Soho district of London in 1889. In 1851, the firm bought the copyright of Walter Scott's Waverley Novels for £27,000. In 1902 it published P. G...
.
He died in the Lake District in 1929. The family business he founded still exists today as an art gallery and shop in Grasmere, Cumbria.
Selected Books illustrated by Heaton Cooper
- W. G. Clark. Norfolk & Suffolk (A & C Black, 1921).
- Mackenzie Macbride. Wild lakeland (A & C Black, 1922).
- F. J. Mathew. Ireland (A. & C. Black, 1916).
- G. E. Mitton. The Isle of Wight (A. & C. Black, 1911).
- A. R. Hope Moncrieff. The Isle of Wight (A & C Black, 1908)
- W. T. Palmer The English Lakes (A & C Black, 1908).