Charles Allston Collins

Charles Allston Collins (1828–1873), English, Charles Allston Collins, born on January 25, 1828, in Hampstead, London, was a multifaceted British artist and writer, closely associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The son of the esteemed painter William Collins and brother to the renowned novelist Wilkie Collins, Charles was educated at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire. His artistic journey was significantly influenced by his acquaintance with John Everett Millais, leading him to adopt the Pre-Raphaelite style, characterized by its vivid detail, intense colors, and complex compositions. His 1850 painting, 'Berengaria's Alarm,' exemplifies these traits, though his aspirations to officially join the Brotherhood were thwarted by opposition from within the group.
Collins's personal life was marked by unrequited love for Maria Francesca Rossetti, which perhaps deepened his introspective and ascetic tendencies, reflected in works like 'Convent Thoughts.' Despite his initial success in painting, Collins shifted his focus to literature in the late 1850s, achieving acclaim with 'The Eye Witness,' a collection of humorous essays. His marriage to Kate Dickens, daughter of the literary giant Charles Dickens, in 1860, intertwined his life further with the Victorian cultural elite. Collins's final years were overshadowed by illness, preventing him from completing the illustrations for Dickens's 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood.' He succumbed to cancer in 1873, leaving behind a legacy that bridges the visual and literary arts of the 19th century. Buried in Brompton Cemetery, London, Collins's work remains a testament to the rich interplay between art and literature during the Victorian era.