Background
CLARKE, Caspar Purdon was born in 1846 in London. Son of late Edward Marmaduke Clarke, Richmond, County Dublin, family.from Taunton, Somerset, and Mary Agnes, daughter of late James Close, Armagh.
CLARKE, Caspar Purdon was born in 1846 in London. Son of late Edward Marmaduke Clarke, Richmond, County Dublin, family.from Taunton, Somerset, and Mary Agnes, daughter of late James Close, Armagh.
Studied at Gaultier’s Collegiate School, Sydenham. Beaucourt’s School, Boulogne, France. Doctor of Laws.
Entered National Art Training School, South Kensington, 1862. Medallist, 1864; National Medallion, 1865. His (or Her) Majesty Office of Works, Houses of Parliament, 1865.
Architect’ General’ s Office, South Kensington Museum, 1867.
Superintendent of art reproductions in Italy, 1869. Building His (or Her) Majesty Legation, Teheran, and surveying Consular property in Persia, 1874.
Collecting art objects for South Kensington Museum in Greece, Turkey, and Syria, 1876. Architect, Indian section, and Commercial Agent to the Government of India, Paris Exhibition, 1878.
Collecting art examples in Spain, Italy, and Germany, 1879.
Rearranging Indian Collections, South Kensington Museum, 1880. Special Commissioner in India, 1880-1882. Keeper, Indian Collections, 1883.
Organising in India the forthcoming Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1885-1886.
Keeper, Art Collections, South Kensington Museum, 1892. Assistant Director, 1893.
Director, 1896.
Royal Commissioner, Paris Exhibition, 1900. Royal Commissioner, Saint Louis Exhibition, 1904.
Also organising and conducting evening art classes for artisans in Soho, Lambeth, and Clerkenwell, 1870.
Designed and built Cotherstone Church, Durham, 1876. Indian Pavilion, Paris Exhibition, 1878 (silver and bronze medals and Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur’Honneur). Visited America to study the housing of female students at Boston, and on return designed and built Alexandra House, Kensington, 1884.
Indian City, Colonial and Indian Exhibition, 1886.
National School of Cookery, 1887. Lord Brassey’s Indian Museum, Park Lane, 1SS7.
Indian Palace, Paris Exhibition, 1889 (gold medal). British Official Delegate, Vienna Exhibition, 1891.
And appointed by Austrian Government Editor of work on Oriental Carpets, 1892.
Author of papers read before the Archaeological Society, Royal Institute of British Architects, Quatuor Coronati, Society of Arts. Lectures, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. Town Hall, Birmingham.
Bourse, Vienna.
Town Hall, Westminster, Stratford-on-Avon.
Fellow Royal Society of Antiquaries. Fellow Royal Society of British Architects.
Member Royal Asiatic Society, Royal Academy of Madrid. Girdler and Mason of the City of London.
Order Crown of Prussia. S3; Chevalier Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur’Honneur, 1878. M‘Gill University, Montreal, 1908.
Director, Metropolitan Museum, New York, 1905-1910.
Clubs: Royal Societies. Century, Lotos, Church, City, Players, Salmagundi, New New York