Edmund Morison Wimperis
Encyclopedia
Edmund Morison Wimperis (6 February 1835 Flocker's Brook, Chester
- 25 December 1900 Southbourne
, Christchurch, Hampshire), was an English wood-engraver and watercolour painter and member of The Arts Club
.
He was the eldest son of Mary and Edmund Richard Wimperis, who was a cashier of Messrs. Walker, Parker, & Co.'s lead works at Chester. Artistically, the members of this family were unusually talented and were all raised in Chester. They were close friends of Charles Kingsley
of Water Babies
fame, who at that time was canon of Chester Cathedral
. They were also connected by marriage to the Brontë
s through a Mrs Bramwell. The girls were members of the Naturalists Field Club, with Kingsley as leader.
About 1851 Edmund was apprenticed to a wood engraver, Mason Jackson
, for seven years. He also trained under Myles Birket Foster
. From about 1863 he worked for the publisher Joseph Cundall
and for the Illustrated London News
. Later in his life he started to paint and sketch with Thomas Collier
.
When aged about 38 he became a professional landscape watercolourist and member of the Society of British Artists. In 1874 he joined the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours
, and went on to become one of its foremost members, being elected Vice-President in 1895. In 1879–80 he accompanied his two sisters Fanny and Jenny on a visit to their sister, Susanna, married and living in Dunedin
in New Zealand
. He stayed for some months, exhibiting at the Otago Art Society in 1880.
On 11 April 1863 he married Anne Harry Edmons (*c1841 Penzance), daughter of Thomas Edmons of Penzance
, and raised a family of two sons and two daughters, all of whom were talented artists.
Edmund's siblings were:
Edmund's children were:
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
- 25 December 1900 Southbourne
Southbourne, Dorset
Southbourne is a suburb of Bournemouth. It is the most easterly part of the borough, between Boscombe and Christchurch, Dorset. The area was previously known as Stourfield....
, Christchurch, Hampshire), was an English wood-engraver and watercolour painter and member of The Arts Club
The Arts Club
The Arts Club is a London private members club founded in 1863 by, amongst others, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, and Lord Leighton in Dover Street, Mayfair, London, England...
.
He was the eldest son of Mary and Edmund Richard Wimperis, who was a cashier of Messrs. Walker, Parker, & Co.'s lead works at Chester. Artistically, the members of this family were unusually talented and were all raised in Chester. They were close friends of Charles Kingsley
Charles Kingsley
Charles Kingsley was an English priest of the Church of England, university professor, historian and novelist, particularly associated with the West Country and northeast Hampshire.-Life and character:...
of Water Babies
The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby
The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby is a children's novel by the Reverend Charles Kingsley. Written in 1862–1863 as a serial for Macmillan's Magazine, it was first published in its entirety in 1863...
fame, who at that time was canon of Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral is the mother church of the Church of England Diocese of Chester, and is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly St Werburgh's abbey church of a Benedictine monastery, is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
. They were also connected by marriage to the Brontë
Brontë
The Brontës were a nineteenth-century literary family associated with Haworth in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. The sisters, Charlotte , Emily , and Anne , are well-known as poets and novelists...
s through a Mrs Bramwell. The girls were members of the Naturalists Field Club, with Kingsley as leader.
About 1851 Edmund was apprenticed to a wood engraver, Mason Jackson
Mason Jackson
Mason Jackson was an English engraver.Jackson was born at Ovingham, Northumberland in 1819, and was trained as a wood engraver by his brother, John Jackson, the author of a history of this art....
, for seven years. He also trained under Myles Birket Foster
Myles Birket Foster
Myles Birket Foster was a popular English illustrator, watercolour artist and engraver in the Victorian period. His name is also to be found as Myles Birkett Foster.-Life and work:...
. From about 1863 he worked for the publisher Joseph Cundall
Joseph Cundall
Joseph Cundall , was a Victorian English writer under the pseudonym of "Stephen Percy", a pioneer photographer and London publisher of children's books. He provided employment for many of the best artists of the day by using them as illustrators.Joseph was the son of Eliza and Benjamin Cundall, a...
and for the Illustrated London News
Illustrated London News
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper; the first issue appeared on Saturday 14 May 1842. It was published weekly until 1971 and then increasingly less frequently until publication ceased in 2003.-History:...
. Later in his life he started to paint and sketch with Thomas Collier
Thomas Collier
For the Baptist preacher see Thomas Collier .Thomas Collier RI was an English landscape painter....
.
When aged about 38 he became a professional landscape watercolourist and member of the Society of British Artists. In 1874 he joined the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours
Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours
The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours , initially called the New Society of Painters in Water Colours, , is one of the societies in the Federation of British Artists, based in the Mall Galleries in London.-History:In 1831 the society was founded as the New Society of Painters in Water...
, and went on to become one of its foremost members, being elected Vice-President in 1895. In 1879–80 he accompanied his two sisters Fanny and Jenny on a visit to their sister, Susanna, married and living in Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. He stayed for some months, exhibiting at the Otago Art Society in 1880.
On 11 April 1863 he married Anne Harry Edmons (*c1841 Penzance), daughter of Thomas Edmons of Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
, and raised a family of two sons and two daughters, all of whom were talented artists.
Edmund's siblings were:
- Eleanor Wimperis b.1836
- John James Wimperis (1839)
- Frances Mary Wimperis "Fanny" (1840–1925), painter, studied at the Slade School of Art in London under E. J. PoynterEdward PoynterSir Edward John Poynter, 1st Baronet, PRA was an English painter, designer, and draughtsman who served as President of the Royal Academy.-Life:...
in painting and Alphonse LegrosAlphonse LegrosAlphonse Legros , painter, etcher and sculptor was born in Dijon. His father was an accountant, and came from the neighbouring village of Véronnes....
in drawing. - Susanna White Wimperis (botanical artist)(c.1843 Chester –1915) x George Joachim, manager of the Westport Coal Co. - settled in Dunedin 1877
- Ann Jane Wimperis “Jenny” (1844–1929), DunedinDunedinDunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
painter - Joseph Price Wimperis (1849–1877)
- Harriet Elizabeth Wimperis (1851–1869)
Edmund's children were:
- Edmund Walter Wimperis (*1865)
- unknown boy
- Ann H Wimperis
- Ethel M Wimperis