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Conway, William Martin, Sir, 1856-1937We have 1 book for this author.William Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington (April 12, 1856 at Rochester, England – April 19, 1937 at London), English art critic, politician and mountaineer, was the son of Reverend William Conway, afterwards canon of Westminster. W.M. Conway was educated at Repton and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he became a close friend of Karl Pearson. He became interested in early printing and engraving, and in 1880 made a tour of the principal libraries of Europe in pursuit of his studies, the result appearing in 1884 as a History of the Woodcutters of the Netherlands in the Fifteenth Century. His later works on art included:
From 1884 to 1887 he was Professor of Art at University College, Liverpool; and from 1901 to 1904 he was Slade Professor of Fine Arts at Cambridge University. He was knighted in 1895 for his efforts in mapping 5,180 square km of the Karakoram Range in the Himalayas three years earlier. Conway became an early member of the Alpine Club, of which he was president from 1902 to 1904. In 1892 he beat the then current climbing record by ascending to a height of 23,000 ft. (7,010 metres) in the Himalayas in the course of an exploring and mountaineering expedition undertaken under the auspices of the Royal Society, the Royal Geographical Society and the British Association. In 1896-1897 he explored the interior of Spitsbergen, and the following year he explored and surveyed the Bolivian Andes, climbing Sorata (21,500'/6,553m) and Illimani (21,200'/6,461m). He also ascended Aconcagua (22,831'/6,959m) and explored Tierra del Fuego. At the Paris exhibition of 1900 he received the gold medal for mountain surveys, and the founders medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1905. His expeditions are described in:
Conway had been involved in politics for some time, consorting with both major parties allegedly in pursuit of a knighthood and a barony; he received both. He was elected Unionist Member of Parliament for the Combined English Universities in 1918, serving until 1931. He was raised to the peerage as 1st Baron Conway of Allington. This title became extinct on his death. Conway was founder and first Director-General of the Imperial War Museum and a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. His photograph collection formed the basis of the Conway Library at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. He was also responsible for the restoration of Allington Castle Conway died in London at the age of 81. His autobiography of 1932 is called Episodes in a Varied Life, while 1914's The Sport of Collecting explains his passion for collecting artworks, photographs, etc. For a biography see The Conways by Joan Evans.
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This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. This biographical information was gathered from the William_Martin_Conway page, courtesy of the Wikipedia project. BooksThe Book of Art for Young People |
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