Biography of Henry Holiday 1839-1927

Henry Holiday is in Painters.

On 17th June 1839 Henry Holiday was born to George Henry Holiday [aged 39] and Climène Gerber [aged 34] at 2 Hampstead Street, Fitzroy Square; the second of four children. He was educated at home by his father and his paternal aunt Kate Holiday.

In 1852 Henry Holiday [aged 12] became a pupil of William Cave Thomas, a close friend of Ford Madox Brown [aged 30]

In December 1854 Henry Holiday [aged 15] entered the Royal Academy Schools as a probationer. His fellow students included Simeon Solomon [aged 14], Albert Moore [aged 13], William Blake Richmond [aged 12], William De Morgan [aged 15], Frederick Walker, and Marcus Stone [aged 14].

1859. Henry Holiday [aged 19]. "The Burgesses of Calais".

In 1860 Henry Holiday [aged 20] was admitted to the Life school at the Royal Academy and also attended anatomy classes at King's College of the University of London.

In 1861 Henry Holiday [aged 21] and [his future wife] Catherine Raven [aged 22] first met at Betws-y-Coed [Map] where she was staying with her sister Jane and her brother John. Holiday recalled in his Reminiscences: "Occasionally, when I seemed to be getting on, I looked forward to the time when I might be able to set up a home of my own, and hoped I might find some sympathetic being suitable as a companion for life who would accept me in that relation. I thought falling in love was very pretty in storybooks, but that in real life it must be a matter of careful choice, with the chance of that choice being reciprocated. But all this was thrown to the winds during the half-hour I spent before Mr. Collingwood's sketches. Life had assumed a new aspect for me, and though I do not think I was lacking in devotion to the profession I had chosen for myself, I had certainly found a new and powerful incentive to work and to work well…A few days after that, our first meeting, I spent the evening with them and made the welcome discovery that Miss Kate Raven was devoted to music and was an excellent pianist."

Around 1862. Henry Holiday [aged 22]. Portrait of the artist's future wife Catherine Raven [aged 23].

Catherine Raven: In 1839 she was born to Reverend Thomas Raven. In 1861 Henry Holiday and Catherine Raven first met at Betws-y-Coed [Map] where she was staying with her sister Jane and her brother John. Holiday recalled in his Reminiscences: "Occasionally, when I seemed to be getting on, I looked forward to the time when I might be able to set up a home of my own, and hoped I might find some sympathetic being suitable as a companion for life who would accept me in that relation. I thought falling in love was very pretty in storybooks, but that in real life it must be a matter of careful choice, with the chance of that choice being reciprocated. But all this was thrown to the winds during the half-hour I spent before Mr. Collingwood's sketches. Life had assumed a new aspect for me, and though I do not think I was lacking in devotion to the profession I had chosen for myself, I had certainly found a new and powerful incentive to work and to work well…A few days after that, our first meeting, I spent the evening with them and made the welcome discovery that Miss Kate Raven was devoted to music and was an excellent pianist." On 13th October 1864 Henry Holiday and she were married at Betws-y-Coed [Map]. In 1924 she died.

On 13th October 1864 Henry Holiday [aged 25] and Catherine Raven [aged 25] were married at Betws-y-Coed [Map].

On 18th September 1865 [his daughter] Winifred Holiday was born to Henry Holiday [aged 26] and [his wife] Catherine Raven [aged 26].

The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy

The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

1883. Henry Holiday [aged 43]. "Dante and Beatrice".

Around 1887. Henry Holiday [aged 47]. "Diana, Dea della Caccia".

1888. Henry Holiday [aged 48]. "Aspasia on the Pnyx".

Around 1890. Henry Holiday [aged 50]. Portrait of the violinist and suffragette Winifred Raven Holiday (1866-1949), the artist's daughter.

In 1924 [his wife] Catherine Raven [aged 85] died.

Before 1927. Henry Holiday [aged 87]. "View of Coniston".

Before 1927. Henry Holiday [aged 87]. Study for the Figure of Virtue. This study is thought to be for the stained glass window Henry Holiday designed for St. Salvator's Chapel in St. Andrews.

Before 1927. Henry Holiday [aged 87]. "Dante Alighieri".

Before 1927. Henry Holiday [aged 87]. The Duet; Portraits of Alexandra, daughter of Rev. G. Kitchin and Winifrid, daughter of the painter.

Before 1927. Henry Holiday [aged 87]. "Sara, belle d'indolence".

William of Worcester's Chronicle of England

William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.

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Before 1927. Henry Holiday [aged 87]. "Jacob's ladder".

Before 1927. Henry Holiday [aged 87]. "Street of tombs, Pompeii".

Before 1927. Henry Holiday [aged 87]. Portrait of suffragette and campaigner for women's rights Helena Normanton.

Before 1927. Henry Holiday [aged 87]. "[his daughter] Winifred [aged 61]".

Winifred Holiday: On 18th September 1865 she was born to Henry Holiday and Catherine Raven.

On 15th April 1927 Henry Holiday [aged 87] died.

                    The Times. The Death of Sir Frank Dicksee. Miss [his daughter] Winifred Holliday writes:
                
                    It must be rare for a man whose career is described as "a run of unbroken success" to remain to the end so beautifully unspoiled as was the late Sir Frank Dicksee, but in the memory of his friends his unaffected simplicity and unvarying kindliness were the finest part of that success. Perhaps, as there have been some allusions to his early work with my father, whose junior he was by some 15 years, I may be allowed to mention a recent and touching expression of his goodness. On my father's death last year, I had the difficult task of dealing with the immense variety of objects that an artist accumulates in the course of a long career, and amongst these was his life-size statue Sleep. Though not professionally a sculptor, my father considered her one of his best pieces of work of any kind whatsoever, yet when the house and studio were empty of all else Sleep still remained. What was I to do with her? In my difficulty I sought Sir Frank, and the difficulty vanished; in a few days she was transferred to one of his own studios. Nor was this all. My father, following what he considered to be the example of the great Greeks, had tinted the statue. This tinting, purely conventional in character, Sir Frank greatly admired; but the statue was in need of a thorough cleaning, which was done under his directions. The sequel is best given in his own words. Writing to me early this year he said:
                
                    "When you last saw Sleep you must have been disappointed; she was not looking her best. The man who cleaned her did his work well, but in the doing removed the colour from some parts of her figure, which troubled him, but I told him I would restore it. Two days ago I was able to go all over it, and she looks really beautiful. I should like you to see her now."
                
                    I went, and I shall never forget his smiling expression of pride and delight as he removed her coverings and turned to look at me. In the midst of all his incessant work, artistic and official, he had indeed found time to restore her from head to foot, and as I looked at her I felt that faithful though the colouring was to the original, he had in some charming way added a living and loving touch to the work of his old friend.

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