Hi Brian Alan Cole was involved with improvement of design of the Irish laces and made several visits to Ireland over the years.
This became controversial towards the end of his time there and he, along with the South Kensington system of competitions was subject to a good deal of criticism. Many details are in my Irish crochet lace books, namely: *Early History of Irish crochet lace 2007* *Irish crochet lace in the nineteenth century, 2012* *Irish crochet lace in Austria and France, 2012* He prepared a book about the Irish laces to help the Europeans develop their own styles of Irish crochet lace after he was critised by some of the Irish. It is only in a few libraries such as the one at the V & A. It is a particularly interesting story. Details are on my webpage www.crochethistory.com which is being extensively revised at the moment. Best wishes Barbara On 8/12/2021 4:32 pm, Brian Lemin wrote: > I am not sure how the layout of this will turn out as an email, Forgive me. > > > Special thanks to all of you who have helped get such a good start on > this bio. > > Brian > > A preliminary biography outline of*Alan Summerly Cole, 1846-1934 > */(Gleaned from many web sources academic works etc. with the help of > members of Arachne (lace list)/ > > /Collated by Brian Lemin Dec2021/ > > *Nationality*: English > *Date of Birth*: 1846.08.19 > *Place of Birth*: Bayswater. London Middlesex > *Date of Death*: 1934.03.24 > *Place of Death*: May 30, 1934 (86-87) > London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom > > *Identity: * > > Alan Summerley Cole was the son of Sir Henry Cole, K.C.B, a pioneer in > design reform and the first director of the South Kensington Museum. > > *Marriage:* > > A. S. Cole ( aged 32)married Margaret Elizabeth Clark (aged 19) (1859 ââ¬â > 1933)in March 1879 ,( or possibly on 7 January 1879 )in the parish of > Taunton St Mary) > > They had four children, > > Hilda (b. ca 1880, m. Jack Bennet), > > Muriel (b. ca 1882), > > Jack (b. ca 1884) and > > Doreen (1901-1903). > > *Life: * > > Cole attended the Government Design Schools at South Kensington, and > later became the Assistant Secretary at the South Kensington Museum. He > was an expert in textiles, especially lace, and was the author of a > number of catalogues on the subject. He wrote reports on the working > conditions of lace makers in Britain. > > He was the son of the museumââ¬â¢s first director, Sir Henry Cole > (1808-1882), and also served as Assistant Secretary at the museum. He > published ââ¬ÅA Descriptive Catalogue of the Collection of Lace in the > South Kensington Museumââ¬Â in 1881, and in 1891 produced a supplement for > specimens of lace acquired between 1880 and 1890. He was commissioned by > Parliament to investigate the Irish lacemaking industry; He also wrote a > report on the Devon lace industry and many important works on the > subject and on lace in general. Cole knew many turn of the century Arts > & Crafts leaders, and was one of the only people advocating lace in the > movement. > > He entered Charterhouse for a brief periods despite his father's > reservations. As has been recorded, he spent his working life in the > > Department, as Private Secretary to his father from 1867 to 1873, and > later in a variety of capacities. He continued to serve in the Board of > Education to 1908. He was made C. B. in 1902, and he was a Member of the > Council of the Royal Society of Arts from 1914 to 1918. > > The science and art department were part of the government, and was > based on the South Kensington site next to the museum that became the > V&A. He was widely regarded as a textile expert, publishing monographs > of textiles, silks, embroidery and of course lace. As a commissioner for > the department, he went out to the lace counties and Ireland to report > on the state of the lace industries there, and for the Children > employment commission on children working and schooling in the lace > industry in 1862. > > He was a friend of Whistler. > > In 1849, when Whistler was living with the Hadens at Sloane Street, he > met Cole and his elder sisters at a children's party given by the > Dilkes. Cole and Whistler remained life-long friends and correspondents. > In the spring of 1876 Whistler began a portrait of Cole's father which > was taken up again in February 1882 but never finished as Henry Cole > died on 18 April 1882. The picture appears to have been destroyed. Later > in 1876 Whistler and Cole played together in /Under the Umbrella/, an > amateur theatrical in Kensington Town Hall. In this year Whistler also > gave Cole an number of spontaneous sketches he had made of /The Blue > Girl: Portrait of Connie Gilchrist/ (YMSM 207) and /Arrangement in Brown > and Black: Portrait of Miss Rosa Corder/ (YMSM 203). In 1879 Cole helped > Whistler plan a trip to Venice. > > Cole's diary records many dinners and breakfasts at Whistler's house > during the 1870s in the company of such persons as Frank Dicey, Cyril > Flower, Louis Huth, Richard Monckton Milnes, Oscar Wilde, Jacques Joseph > Tissot, Frances Leyland, Janey Sevilla Campbell, George Adolphus Storey > and Theodore Watts, when they had discussed such subjects as Japanese > art, Velasquez, Balzac, Sarah Bernhardt and spiritualism. In his diary > Cole also followed the progress of Whistler's decoration of the Peacock > Room at Leyland's home in Prince's Gate in the autumn and winter of > 1876, and made records of the exhibitions of Whistler's pictures, eg. > Fine Art Society in 1881. > > > Alan Summerley Cole's Timeline > <https://www.geni.com/timeline/view_all?profile_id=6000000173411252238> > > > Showing 7 events > > 1847 > > > > Birth of Alan Summerley Cole > <https://www.geni.com/profile/6000000173411252238/events/6000000173411252239> > > > > London, Middlesex > > DEC 31 > > 1879 > > > > Birth of Hilda Margaret Summerley Bennett > <https://www.geni.com/profile/6000000173411252238/events/6000000173410434076> > > > > 1879 > > > > Marriage of Alan Cole and Margaret Clark > <https://www.geni.com/profile/6000000173411252238/events/6000000173411807006> > > > > Taunton, Somerset, England, United Kingdom > > 1883 > > > > Birth of Jack Summerley Cole > <https://www.geni.com/profile/6000000173411252238/events/6000000173415069933> > > > > 1883 > > > > Birth of Ruth Jack Summerley Chaplin > <https://www.geni.com/profile/6000000173411252238/events/6000000173410424486> > > > > 1901 > > > > Birth of Doreen Marion Cole > <https://www.geni.com/profile/6000000173411252238/events/6000000173415037959> > > > > MAY 30 > > 1934 > > > > Death of Alan Summerley Cole > <https://www.geni.com/profile/6000000173411252238/events/6000000173411252240> > > > > London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom > > > Contributions to EB1911<https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/EB1911> > > * "Brocade > > <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Brocade>," > in /Encyclopædia Britannica > <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica>/ > (11th ed., 1911) > * "Carpet > > <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Carpet>," > in /Encyclopædia Britannica > <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica>/ > (11th ed., 1911) > * "Embroidery > > <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Embroidery>," > in /Encyclopædia Britannica > <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica>/ > (11th ed., 1911) (/in part/) > * "Gold and Silver Thread > > <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Gold_and_Silver_Thread>," > in /Encyclopædia Britannica > <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica>/ > (11th ed., 1911) > * "Lace > <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Lace>," > in /Encyclopædia Britannica > <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica>/ > (11th ed., 1911) > * "Tapestry > > <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Tapestry>," > in /Encyclopædia Britannica > <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica>/ > (11th ed., 1911) > * "Textile-printing > > <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Textile-printing>," > in /Encyclopædia Britannica > <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica>/ > (11th ed., 1911) (/Art and Archaeology/) > * "Weaving > > <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Weaving>," > in /Encyclopædia Britannica > <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica>/ > (11th ed., 1911) (/Archaeology and Art/) > > > > *Bibliography: * > > Cole, Alan S. (ed.), /A Descriptive Catalogue of the Collection of Lace > in the South Kensington Museum/, London, 1881; > > Cole, Alan S., /A Descriptive Catalogue of the Collection of Tapestry > and Embroidery in the South Kensington Museum/, London, 1888; > > Cole, Alan S., /A Supplemental Descriptive Catalogue of Embroideries and > Tapestry Woven Specimens Acquired by the South Kensington Museum Between > 1890 and 1894/, London, 1896; > > Cole, Alan S. and Henrietta (ed.), /Fifty Years of Public Work of Sir > Henry Cole, K.C.B., Accounted for in his Deeds and Writings/, 2 vols, > London, 1884; Bonython, Elizabeth, > > /King Cole: A Picture Portrait of Sir Henry Cole, K.C.B., 1808-1882/, > London, n.d; /Who was who: a companion to Who's who/, London, vol. 3. > > Alan S. Cole. Editor. Embroidery from the South Kensington Museum / > > Alan S. Cole. Ornament in European silks; > > Alan S. Cole. Ancient Needlepoint and Pillow Lace. Arundel Society, > 1875. 59 pages. > > Alan S. Cole. Weaving. Cambridge University Press, 1911. 16 pages. > > Alan S. Cole. A renascence of the Irish art of lace-making. London, > 1888. Title no: 4.2.328 (1 mf) > > Alan S. Cole. Cantor lectures on the art of lace-making. London, 1881. > Title no: 4.2.577 (1 mf) > > - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
