Edward William Cooke

Honfleur – The Artists – Cooke, Edward William

This page forms part of a series of pages dedicated to the many artists who worked in Honfleur. A full list of all the artists with a link to their works can be found at the bottom of this page.

Edward Cooke
Edward Cooke

Movement(s): –

Edward William Cooke (1811 – 1880) was an English landscape and marine painter, and gardener. Cooke was born in London, the son of well-known line engraver George Cooke; his uncle, William Bernard Cooke (1778–1855), was also a line engraver of note, and Edward was raised in the company of artists (like Thomas Boys who was an apprentice of his father).

He was a precocious draughtsman and a skilled engraver from an early age, displayed an equal preference for marine subjects (in special in sailing ships) and published his “Shipping and Craft” – a series of accomplished engravings – when he was 18, in 1829.

He went on to travel and paint with great industry at home and abroad, indulging his love of the 17th-century Dutch marine artists with a visit to the Netherlands in 1837. He returned regularly over the next 23 years, studying the effects of the coastal landscape and light, as well as the works of the country’s Old Masters, resulting in highly successful paintings.

He went on to travel in Scandinavia, Spain, North Africa and, above all, to Venice. He also travelled extensively in Normandy.

Click here to read Cooke’s full bio on Wikipedia.

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1833 - Edward William Cooke - Boats at Honfleur
1833 – Edward William Cooke – Boats at Honfleur
???? - Edward William Cooke - Honfleur fishing boats becalmed, Havre in the distance
???? – Edward William Cooke – Honfleur fishing boats becalmed, Le Havre in the distance

TODAY: You can see Le Havre in the distance from Honfleur.

He painted several other places in France (a link “” will be made to his works in those cities below when they are put online):

Honfleur was (and is) a very picturesque town, so it saw many artists capturing the beauty of this very scenic town. The reason it has so many tourists is obvious…. it’s very pretty. Here are some of the artists that have come to apply their art in the town (a link, symbolized by a ““, to the artist’s works will appear when published. A “*” indicates that the artist did not work directly in Honfleur but instead worked outside of Honfleur in a nearby town).

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Today: View of Le Havre from Honfleur
Today: View of Le Havre from Honfleur
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