Edward William Cooke RA, FRS, FSA, FLS, FZS, FGS

by John Munday

One eminent Victorian for whom a biographical study is long overdue is the marine painter Edward William Cooke, R.A., F.R.S., F.S.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S., F.G.S. (1811-1880), who, as the letters after his name will indicate, had interests far beyond the coastal views and inshore shipping of Europe which were his main subjects on canvas. He emerges as a gardener and garden designer on a grand scale, a student of geology, a plantsman, botanical illustrator, humorist, antiquarian and collector. Although several exhibitions have been held covering aspects of Cooke's work, John Munday's long awaited study gathers together a more representative collection of paintings and drawings and explores the many-sided character of this fascinating man. His diary, and other documents now made available by his family, enable us to see what he was about almost every day of a working life spanning half a century, and provide a remarkable insight into the life and work of this extraordinary Victorian. Today Coo