William Collingwood (1819–1903)

William Collingwood R.W.S. (23 April 1819 – 25 June 1903) was an English watercolour painter best known for his mountain landscapes. He also wrote on religion. He should not be confused with his cousin, the painter William Collingwood Smith, or his son, the painter, author and antiquarian William Gershom Collingwood, who was John Ruskin's "disciple and secretary".^[1]

Collingwood was born in Greenwich, London. His father, Samuel Collingwood, was a architect and surveyor.^[2] Though he had no formal training in art, he was mentored by his neighbour James Duffield Harding. He initially painted in oils before becoming a proficient watercolourist.

In 1843 Collingwood became an Associate, and later a Member, of the Society of Painters in Water Colours, which later became the Royal Watercolour Society. He specialised in mountain landscapes and travelled extensively in Britain and continental Europe. His images were often engraved and reproduced in the Illustrated London News. He exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1836 and 1855, as well as with the Water Colour Society and at the Royal Society of British Artists at the Suffolk Street Gallery.

He spent many years in Liverpool, where he was a lay preacher for the Plymouth Bretheren,^[4] later joining the Open Brethren after the schism. In 1850, influenced by Dr. Karl Gutzlaff, Collingwood considered travelling to China as both artist and missionary. This plan was abandoned following his marriage in 1851 to Marie Imhof of Arbon, Switzerland. He became a supporter of missionary work, hosting many missionaries in his Liverpool home.

In 1890 he settled in Bristol, where he joined the Bristol Bethesda group and worked alongside George Müller.^[5] He wrote numerous papers and booklets, including The Bible its Own Evidence and The Brethren: An Historical Sketch. He also contributed articles on doctrine and spiritual themes to The Witness.

Collingwood’s reverential love for the Bible and his gentle character were noted by contemporaries. His artistic and religious contributions reflect the breadth of his interests and influence in nineteenth‑century Britain.

• Mallalieu, Huon, The Dictionary of British watercolour artists up to 1920, Volume I A-L, p. 169, 3rd edition, 2002, Woodbridge, Suffolk: Antique Collectors' Club, ISBN 185149426X, 2nd edition on the Internet Archive