William Hookham Carpenter | |
---|---|
Born | 1792 |
Died | 1866 |
Nationality | British |
Employer | British Museum |
Spouse | Margaret Geddes |
William Hookham Carpenter (1792–1866) was a British antiquary, and Keeper of Prints at the British Museum.
Carpenter was born in Bruton Street, London on 2 March 1792. He was the son of James Carpenter, a bookseller in Old Bond Street. In 1817 Carpenter married Margaret Sarah Geddes who was a noted portrait-painter, as Margaret Sarah Carpenter. He tried painting and publishing but eventually found employment as the Keeper of Prints at the British Museum. He purchased a number of notable drawings including some by Michelangelo and Raphael.
Carpenter died at the British Museum[1] in July 1866 and was buried with his wife Margaret (d.1872) and daughter, Henrietta (d.1895), on the western side of Highgate Cemetery.[2] The grave (plot no. 14768) no longer has a headstone.
William and Margaret's children included two noted painters, another William and Percy Carpenter who both travelled.[3]