Detail from The Canal, Amsterdam, 1889, James McNeill Whistler, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow

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Harold Wright

Nationality: English
Date of birth: 1885.04.26
Place of birth: London
Date of death: 1961.02.28
Category: print dealer

Identity:

Harold James Lean Wright (1885-1961) was an art historian and print dealer with P. and D. Colnaghi & Co.

Life:

Harold Wright was born on 26 April 1885 in London. In 1903 he joined the art dealers, Obach & Co., then under the directorship of Gustavus Mayer. Wright worked for P. and D. Colnaghi & Co. when they took over Obach in 1911. In 1939 he became one of Colnaghi's directors.

Not limiting his interests to the art business, he published articles and books on prints and printers, among them a translation and expansion of Delteil's catalogue of Meryon's etchings and articles in Print Quarterly. He received an honorary degree of M.A. from the University of Glasgow in 1957. A collection of over 3500 documents, including his draft catalogue raisonné of the work of Alphonse Legros, was given to the University of Glasgow. His collection was sold at Sotheby, London, in 1962.

Bibliography:

The Times, 1 March 1961, p. 16 (obituary); http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/collection/wright.html (accessed 2005); auction catalogue, Sotheby, London, 28 March 1962.