Key Information
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
MacManus, Henry
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1810-1878
History
Henry MacManus, 1810-1878, art teacher and artist, was born in County Monaghan, Ireland. He worked in London from 1837-1844 and was a Head Teacher at Somerset House, London before being appointed Headmaster at the new Glasgow School of Design in 1844. The School was based at 16 Ingram Street and had accommodation for 500 pupils. MacManus started off on a high note, winning the confidence of the governors, who recommended him for a salary increase the next year. However he resigned in 1848 due to problems with the committee of management and returned to Dublin to become Headmaster of the Dublin School of Art, a position he held with great success until 1862. His departure from Glasgow became something of a cause celebre in the local press and art magazines, as Charles Heath Wilson, the man responsible for the report cited as the reason for MacManus leaving, became the subsequent Headmaster. MacManus, a painter, exhibited at the Royal Hibernian Academy, eventually being made the Honorary Professor of Painting there. He also exhibited at the Royal Academy, 1839-1841, British Institute and the OWS. He painted historical scenes and scenes of Irish life. He also worked as a book illustrator.