Michael S. Robinson
Encyclopedia
Michael Strang Robinson (1910–1999) was Keeper of Pictures at the National Maritime Museum
, London
, England
. He was an expert on the paintings of Willem van de Velde, the elder and Willem van de Velde, the younger.
, Hampshire
, England
on 20 April 1910; his father, Gregory Robinson, was a painter of seascapes and a founder of the Society for Nautical Research
, of which Michael Robinson later became honorary vice-president. As a child, he was a frequent sailor, and as a student at London University he took a job cataloguing prints for the Royal Naval College
in Greenwich
. He was hired by the National Maritime Museum in 1934. Robinson had joined the King's Royal Rifle Corps
in 1930, and during World War II
he served in the Special Boat Section
of the British Royal Navy. He was captured in Leros
, and eventually taken to Stalag IV-B
, where he first started learning Dutch
. Returning to the National Maritime Museum after the war, Robinson became head of department in 1947. He died in London
on 24 December 1999.
in 1959. He was awarded the Caird Medal of the National Maritime Museum
in 1985. He became a member of the Order of Orange-Nassau
in 1990.
National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. The historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, it also incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich,...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was an expert on the paintings of Willem van de Velde, the elder and Willem van de Velde, the younger.
Biography
Robinson was born in HambleHamble-le-Rice
Hamble-le-Rice is a village in the Borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, UK. It is best known for being an aircraft training centre during the Second World War and is a popular yachting location...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 20 April 1910; his father, Gregory Robinson, was a painter of seascapes and a founder of the Society for Nautical Research
Society for Nautical Research
The Society for Nautical Research was founded in 1910 to promote the academic field of maritime history in the United Kingdom.The aims of the society are to:* support and encourage research in maritime history and underwater archaeology....
, of which Michael Robinson later became honorary vice-president. As a child, he was a frequent sailor, and as a student at London University he took a job cataloguing prints for the Royal Naval College
Royal Naval College
Royal Naval College may refer to:* Royal Naval Academy in Portsmouth , renamed the Royal Naval College in 1806* Royal Naval College, Greenwich * Royal Naval College, Osborne...
in Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
. He was hired by the National Maritime Museum in 1934. Robinson had joined the King's Royal Rifle Corps
King's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
in 1930, and during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served in the Special Boat Section
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special...
of the British Royal Navy. He was captured in Leros
Leros
Leros is a Greek island and municipality in the Dodecanese in the southern Aegean Sea. It lies 317 km from Athens's port of Piraeus, from which it can be reached by an 11-hour ferry ride . Leros is part of the Kalymnos peripheral unit...
, and eventually taken to Stalag IV-B
Stalag IV-B
Stalag IV-B was one of the largest prisoner of war camps in Germany during World War II. Stalag is an abbreviation of the German noun "Stammlager". The main camp was located 8km NE of the town Mühlberg in Brandenburg, just east of the Elbe river and about 30 miles north of Dresden...
, where he first started learning Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
. Returning to the National Maritime Museum after the war, Robinson became head of department in 1947. He died in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 24 December 1999.
Published works
- A pageant of the sea: the Macpherson collection of maritime prints and drawings in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich (1950)
- Van de Velde drawings: a catalogue of drawings in the National Maritime Museum made by the Elder and the Younger Willem van de Velde (1958)
- Van de Velde: a catalogue of the paintings of the Elder and Younger Willem van de Velde (1990)
Awards and honours
Robinson became an MBEMBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
in 1959. He was awarded the Caird Medal of the National Maritime Museum
National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. The historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, it also incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich,...
in 1985. He became a member of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Order of Orange-Nassau
The Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
in 1990.