Heath Wilson, Charles, 1809-1882, art teacher and author

Charles Heath Wilson, art teacher and author, eldest son of Andrew Wilson, the landscape-painter, was born in London in September 1809. He studied art under his father, and in 1826 accompanied him to Italy. After seven years, he returned to Edinburgh, where he practised as an architect, and was for some time teacher of ornament and design in the School of Art.

While in Edinburgh he wrote and published, in collaboration with William Dyce, a pamphlet (addressed to Lord Meadowbank) upon "The Best Means of ameliorating the Arts and Manufactures of Scotland," which attracted much attention. Shortly afterwards Dyce was made director and secretary of the recently established schools of art at Somerset House, but resigned in 1843, and Wilson, who had meanwhile been director of the Edinburgh school, was appointed his successor. His position there was not much more comfortable than Dyce's had been, and in 1848 he also resigned.

In 1840 he had visited the continent to make a report to government on fresco-painting, and while in Glasgow he was occupied for nearly ten years under the Board of Trade in superintending the filling of the windows of Glasgow Cathedral with Munich pictures in coloured glass. He selected the subjects and wrote a description of the work (prefaced by some account of the process), which went through many editions.

In January 1849 he became the second Headmaster of the new Glasgow School of Design. The School underwent many changes during Wilson's period of tenure, with the introduction of life classes, aand a mechanical and architectural drawing class. Wilson taught a class on practical geometry, and superintended the advanced class. The courses of study were modified to retain established designers and pattern drawers in the School. In 1853, with the creation of the Science and Art Department, the Glasgow School of Design became the Glasgow School of Art. In 1864 the Board of Trade masterships were suppressed and Wilson was pensioned, but continued his involvement with the School of Art for some years longer. He stayed in Glasgow, doing architectural work, and is listed as an Honorary Director of the School, and one of the Haldane Academy Trustees. He also gave evidence to several Commons Select Commitees, and prepared a report for the Commission on the Design of the National Gallery.

In 1869 he and his family finally left Scotland and settled at Florence, where he became the life and centre of a large literary and artistic circle. He was much interested in Italian art, on which he wrote occasionally, particularly Michael Angelo. He had, for these and other services, the cross of the "Corona d'Italia" conferred upon him by Victor Emmanuel.

He died at Florence on 3 July 1882.

Charles Heath Wilson was twice married: first, on 3 October 1838, in Edinburgh, to Louisa Orr, daughter of Surgeon John Orr, E.I.C., with whom he had one son and two daughters; and, secondly, on 16 August 1848, also in Edinburgh, to Johanna Catherine, daughter of William John Thomson, portrait-painter, with whom he had a son and a daughter.

Notable publications:

A Life of Michael Angelo, ( 1876)

His pictorial work was principally landscape in watercolour, but he also etched a number of book illustrations, of which the more important are in Pifferi's "Viaggio Antiquario" 1832, and James Wilson's "Voyage round the Coasts of Scotland", 1842.

1837-1843: Head of Department of Design, Edinburgh Trustee's Academy

1843-1848: Director, Government Schools of Design, Somerset House, London

1849-1864: Headmaster of the Glasgow School of Design

List of sources for the biographical information:

Ferguson, H., Glasgow School of Art: The History, first ed, (Glasgow, The Foulis Press of Glasgow School of Art, 1995)

Harrison, B. (ed.), Dictionary of National Biography, (http://www.lib.gla.ac.uk/Resource/Databases/d.shtmlOxford University Press, 1995)

Authority record created according to the National Council on ArchivesRules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names (NCA Rules)1997 and International Council on Archives: Ad Hoc Committee on Descriptive StandardsInternational Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families (ISAAR)CPF1995.

Personal name authority record compiled for the GASHE project by John O'Brien, Glasgow University Archive Services, 24 July 2002