Henry Cole
Also recorded as Sir Henry Cole · Felix Summerly · Sir Cole · Felix pseud. Summerly
Henry Cole

Contemporary Portraits · Public domain
- Born
- 1808 · Bath.
- Died
- 1882 · London.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Occupation
- entrepreneur · writer · designer
- Education
- Christ's Hospital
- Honours
- Companion of the Order of the Bath · Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts · Albert Medal · Knight Bachelor
- Languages
- English
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Documentary connections
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q537906
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
Henry Cole studied at Christ's Hospital. The recorded working language is English. Places of work recorded in the authority are London. Positions recorded include museum director. Distinctions recorded are Companion of the Order of the Bath, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Albert Medal and Knight Bachelor.
He also worked under the name Felix Summerly. The authorities additionally record the headings Sir Henry Cole, Felix Summerly, Sir Cole and Felix pseud. His recorded language was English. One child is recorded: Mary Charlotte Cole.
Documentary record
Henry Cole (15 July 1808 – 18 April 1882) was a writer. Henry Cole was born on 15 July 1808 in Bath, United Kingdom. Henry Cole died on 18 April 1882 in London, United Kingdom.
Identity
Identity
Henry Cole is recorded as having received Companion of the Order of the Bath, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Albert Medal. Recognition and collections. Cole received Companion of the Order of the Bath, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Albert Medal and Knight Bachelor.

A portrait from the Welsh Portrait Collection at the National Library of Wales. Depicted person: Henry Cole – English civil servant and inventor (1808–1882)
This image is available from the National Library of Wales You can view this image in its original context on the NLW Catalogue

A portrait from the Welsh Portrait Collection at the National Library of Wales. Depicted person: Henry Cole – English civil servant and inventor (1808–1882)
Rafael Cameron · This image is available from the National Library of Wales You can view this image in its original context on the NLW Catalogue
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1808–1882
The full dated record · 3 entries
1808
Henry Cole was born in 1808 at Bath.
1873
The speech of Henry Cole, C.B., Secretary of the Science and Art Department, and Director of the South Kensington Museum, delivered at the distribution by him of the prizes to the Nottingham School of Art, the XV. day of Januray MDCCCLXXIII. (1873) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
1882
Henry Cole died in 1882 at London.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Bath.
Birth place
London.
Death place
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q537906: Henry ColeWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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