UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

The Corresponence of James McNeil Whistler

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Alfred Waterhouse, 1830-1905

Nationality: English
Date of Birth: 1830
Place of Birth: Liverpool
Date of Death: 1905
Place of Death:

Identity:

Alfred Waterhouse, RA, was an architect, furniture designer and painter.

Life:

Waterhouse's taste was for Gothic and the Renaissance (Ruskin, Pugin and George Gilbert Scott were amongst his architectural influences) but he gradually developed a distinct style of his own which notable for its simplified forms and use of red brick and terracotta which predated elements of the Arts and Crafts Movement. In his large-scale works such the Natural History Museum, London (1873-80) and the University College Hospital (1896) he is noted for his bold, practical approach to industrial design. His business was highly successful commercially and he held a number of official positions including that of President of the Royal Institute of British Architects from 1888 to 1891.

Bibliography:

http://www.getty.edu/research (accessed 2003). Cunningham, Colin and Waterhouse, Prudence, Alfred Waterhouse, 1830-1905. Biography of a Practice, Oxford, 1996; Cunningham, C., 'Alfred Waterhouse,' The Grove Dictionary of Art Online, ed. L. Macy, http://www.groveart.com (accessed September 2004).