William George Archer,OBE(1907-1979) was a Britishcivil servantand art historian, and later museum curator.
William George Archer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 February 1907 |
| Died | 6 March 1979(aged 72) |
| Education | School of Oriental Studies |
| Occupations |
|
| Employers |
|
| Television | Monitor |
| Spouse | Mildred Agnes Bell |
Career
editArcher was born on 1 February 1907,[1]and studied first history atEmmanuel College, Cambridge,[2]and thenHindi,Indian history and law at theSchool of Oriental Studiesin London.[3]He subsequently served in theIndian Civil Service,inBihar,from 1931 until around 1947, whenIndia gained independence.[4]His roles includedDistrict Magistrateand Superintendent of the Census.He ordered to shoot 7 unarmed students who were trying to put the Indian flag on Patna secretariat during Quit India movement.[1]He was also Additional Deputy Commissioner in theNaga Hillsfrom 1946 to 1948.[1]While in India, he developed a love and knowledge of Indian culture, including poetry and art,[4]and of theSantal people.[1]In the summer of 1934, while home from India on sick leave, he married the sister of one of his friends,Mildred Agnes Bell,who returned to India with him (she later worked as curator of prints and drawings at theIndia Office).[3]The couple, who had two children while in India, shared socialist politics and a belief that India should be granted independence.[1][3]
After the family's return to England, they lived on Provost Road, north of London'sPrimrose Hill,[3]and Archer served as Keeper of the Indian Section, at theVictoria and Albert Museumfrom 1949-1959,[4]and afterwardsKeeper Emeritus.[2]
In the 1950s and 60s, he presented arts programmes onBBC Television,as part of the seriesMonitor.[5][6]He was a champion of the Indian artistAvinash Chandra.[4]
Recognition and legacy
editArcher was appointed anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire(OBE) in the1948 New Year Honours,[7]and was awardedhonorary doctoratesbyPanjab Universityin 1968 andGuru Nanak Dev Universityin 1976.[2]In 1978, he received theRoyal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland'sBurton Memorial Medal.[2]
He died on 6 March 1979.[1]
His papers, together with those of his wife, are held by theBritish Library.[8]
Works
editBooks
edit- The Blue Grove; The Poetry Of The Uraons.1940.
- The Vertical Man.1947.
- Kangra Painting.1952.
- Bazaar Paintings of Calcutta: The Style of Kalighat.1953.
- Garhwal painting.1954.
- Indian paintings from Rajasthan.1957.
- The Loves of Krishna in Indian Painting and Poetry.Ethical and religious classics of East and West, 18. New York: Allen and Unwin. 1957.
- Central Indian Painting.1958.
- Archer, William; Paranavitana, S. (1958).Ceylon: Paintings from Temple Shrine and Rock.
- India and Modern Art.1959.
- Indian Painting in Bundi and Kotah.1959.
- Indian Miniatures.1960.
- Kalighat Drawings.1962.
- Paintings of the Sikhs.1966.
- Kalighat Paintings: A Catalogue and Introduction.HMSO. 1971.ISBN9780112900290.
- Indian Paintings from the Punjab Hills.London. 1973.ISBN9780856670022.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - The Hill Of Flutes: Life, Love And Poetry In Tribal India: A Portrait Of The Santals.London:Allen & Unwin.1974.ISBN9780045720217.
- Songs for the Bride: Wedding Rites of Rural India.Columbia University Press. 1985.ISBN978-0231059183.OCLC11372032.
- Archer, William;Archer, Mildred(1994).India Served and Observed.London: BACSA.ISBN978-0907799535.
Papers
edit- Archer, Mildred& W.G. Archer (1955) Natural history paintings. In Indian painting for the British 1770–1880, pp. 91–98. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
References
edit- ^abcdef"William Archer".Open University.Retrieved4 August2018.
- ^abcdSkelton, Robert (1979)."Obituary: William George Archer".Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland.2:186–188.doi:10.1017/S0035869X00135798.
- ^abcd"Mildred Archer".The Independent.9 October 2011.Retrieved4 August2018.
- ^abcd"Diaspora-artists: View details".Diaspora Artists.Retrieved4 August2018.
- ^"Correspondence about the making of the BBC Monitor film on Avinash Chandra".The National Archives.Retrieved4 August2018.
- ^"W.G. Archer".BBC Genome.Retrieved4 August2018.
- ^British Empire:"No. 38161".The London Gazette(Supplement). 30 December 1947. p. 26.
- ^"Papers of W G Archer, Indian Civil Service, Bihar 1931-47, and of his wife Mildred Archer, experts on Indian poetry and art".The National Archives.Retrieved4 August2018.